Gunnison

Snowpack

Billy Rankin · Dec 13, 2014 · Gunnison

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Weather

Snow began around 16:00 (32F)

Snowpack

From Friday Dec 12th East: Mix of surface crusts (15 cm), variable snowpack. 1F at the top to 4F to the ground. Small grained facets, moist at the ground. HS 80 cm to 25 cm. No results in explosives. High confidence. South: On open slopes: 20-50 cm HS. Surface crust is roughly 4-5” thick and supportive to skis. The Nov 22 crust is roughly halfway down, and the rest of the snowpack is all facets between the 2 crusts. Percolation columns extend from the surface crust to the Nov 22 crust in places. No signs of instability or propagating test results or explosive results. On tree-shaded slopes, the snowpack is deeper in places (up to 80 cm), the two crust layers are thinner and weaker, and the snowpack is mostly faceted again, but the facets are slightly harder and less developed. See profiles from Whiskey and Sunny Shoulder. West: No signs of instability or explosive results in past 2 weeks. Snowpack varies from shallow, all faceted to some lingering 4F to 1F midpack. Surface crusts forming on slopes with a southerly tilt.