Gunnison
AvalancheJack Caprio · Dec 9, 2020 · Gunnison
Weather
Just lovely. Little to no wind and sunny skies.
Snowpack
We toured primarily on North, Northeast, and East facing aspects from 9,500? to 11,400?. At 10,000 feet, we found about 10-15 cm of 2-4 mm fist hard facets on the top of the snowpack. Below that, we found 30 cm of 1 finger dense snow down to the ground. As we gained elevation, we toured primarily on the northern quadrant of the compass. At 11,400 feet, on an open north-facing aspect, the snowpack depth was 75 cm. The upper 25 cm of the snowpack was fist hard facets, while the next 40 cm had a 1 finger density. This particular area held 10 cm of old late October snow at the bottom of the snowpack. This old October snow showed significant signs of rounding. After a couple of non-propagating test results, we skied 35-38 degree NNE facing slopes with no signs of instability.
Avalanche
Old natural and skier triggered dry loose avalanches on East, Northeast, and North Facing aspects above treeline. Some naturals were initiated due to solar warming near rock bands on east-facing terrain.