Gunnison

Snowpack

John MacKinnon · Dec 18, 2012 · Gunnison

Weather

Obscured skies with light snow steadily increasing throughout the day. We observed snowfall rates close to an inch/hour in the afternoon during several convective bursts. SSW wInds were moderate near treeline with light blowing snow both near and below treeline. Temperatures steadily cooled with a minimum recorded temp of -9 C at 11,500 feet at 1 pm.

Snowpack

We had limited visibility and didn't see any recent avalanche activity but heard many collapses--some rumbling--on S and SE slopes below treeline. HS ranged from about 30 cm to over 95 cm. Below 10K, December storm snow is resting on bare ground. Above 10K we noticed an icy/facet layer near the ground. Faceted snow became more pronounced above and below the icy crust as we gained elevation on SE aspects. Dug a profile at 11,500 ft on a SE aspect. HS of 98 cm with about 60 cm of this week's storm snow. Of note, compression tests yielded repeated sudden collapses on a facet/crust combo that was 20 cm from the ground.