Gunnison

Avalanche

CBAC Staff · Dec 29, 2024 · Gunnison

Snowpack

Rime crust from Saturday night was observed up to 11,400 feet. Warm temperatures and solar 'green housing' moistened sunny slopes and quickly helped settle the new slab during the day. Settled storm totals around 45 to 55 cm. Half of the slab is 4-fingers hard. A single snowpack test on a steep southwest slope at 11200 feet did not produce notable results (see image).

Avalanche

Extensive natural avalanche cycle over the past two days on shady aspects in the Slate corridor from Happy Chutes, Climax Chutes, Schuylkill Ridge, and Purple Ridge. Most activity occurred near and below treeline. The alpine was quiet, but given the stiff old surfaces up high before the storm, it made some sense. There are dozens and dozens of other small D1s throughout the zone NOT coded here, and many textured-looking slopes that likely ran early in the storm cycle but are hard to identify so not coded as well.