Gunnison
SnowpackZach Guy · Feb 1, 2013 · Gunnison
Weather
Temps rose to mid-teens at 12,000 ft and low 20’s at 10,000 ft. Winds were moderate from the W to SW, gusting to 40 mph. Blowing snow. Overcast to broken all day, with very light flurries and trace accumulation.
Snowpack
Our first time into steep West terrain above treeline since this storm cycle. Avalanches were not triggered with ski cuts or under the weight of a single skier, but air blasts and hand charges easily cleaned out every path that we approached, mostly down to the interface before this storm cycle (Jan 24th facets and MF crust). Crown depths ranged between 1' and 4', D2's to D3's, most running full path to the valley. On a SE aspect above treeline, a hand charge triggered a windslab up to 15" deep which propagated across the whole path, failing on a midstorm layer.