Gunnison

Snowpack

Ben Pritchett and Zach Guy · Dec 1, 2023 · Gunnison

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Weather

Light snow, overcast, light winds, cool temps.

Snowpack

Crusts under the storm snow on south-facing slopes were very stiff, 2 to 3 inches thick. This weekend's storm snow will likely slide on top of the crusts on steep slopes, but forecast loads pose no threat to overloading the crusts where thick. The crusts are thinner, faceted, and potentially more problematic on southeast-facing slopes. Storm snow may overload these crusts, especially as strong northwest-facing winds transport large loads onto southeast-facing start zones. Easterly facing slopes laced a crust below the newest storm snow. Slabs formed in November on these slopes faceted through up to around 12,000'. The weak snow on east will behave much like the weak snow on northerly-facing slopes as snow loads grow over the weekend.