Gunnison
SnowpackZach Guy · Feb 25, 2012 · Gunnison
Weather
Few clouds all day. Temps rose to freezing at 10,000 ft. and the low 20's at 12,000 ft. Strong winds all day from the S to SW, with gusts increasing this afternoon exceeding 70 mph.
Snowpack
Snowpack: Thursday's snowfall, which rests on a variety of surfaces, is stiffening with the intense winds, especially on west aspects. Drifts and slabs have formed in specific areas, easily identified by smooth chalky snow. These slabs are stubborn and unreactive to ski cuts but failing under large airblasts. Elsewhere, the extreme winds have eroded the snowpack to older layers and formed sastrugi. Avalanche Activity: Aggressive explosive control work today, some in areas that have not seen traffic yet this year. On east to southeast aspects above treeline, numerous 10 to 15lb airblasts and smaller hand charges had minimal results, with only two shallow windslabs pulling out: one below a cliff band and one in a crossloaded pocket. Both were SS-AB-R1D1-I running on a melt-freeze crust from earlier this week. On west aspects near and above treeline, stiffer windslabs pulled out in several areas from airblasts, ranging in depth from 3" to 12". One notable slide was up to 12" deep and 80 ft wide in a crossloaded path HS-AB-R2D2-I.