Gunnison

Limited time offer!  It's a great weekend to enjoy unseasonably nice weather and unseasonably stable conditions in the mountains.  Avalanche hazards are small and isolated due to a lack of recent snowfall.  Stay alert for surprises in very steep or consequential terrain. Conditions are expected to change significantly by later next week.  

It's great to see people taking advantage of our quiet snowpack and nice weather to travel into big alpine terrain, a rare treat for December.  Our last storm was 11 days ago, and avalanche hazards are minimal.   It's a "normal caution" type of weekend, without any significant problems driving our travel advice.  If you are venturing into extreme or high consequence terrain on the northern half of the compass, stay alert for shallow sluffs and the rare chance for triggering a lingering wind drift (Example A,  Example B).  

We are expecting a major pattern change this week, with a small storm en route Tuesday and a more potent system on Thursday and Friday.  Details in our weather tab.  The soft, recycled powder and surface hoar that you're enjoying this weekend on shady aspects will become a menace once it gets buried by enough snow to form a slab.  If the late-week storm stays on track, expect dangerous conditions to develop by the end of the week.  Now is a good time to take note of surface conditions: today's weak and faceted snowpack will become a significant persistent weak layer that will be driving instabilities for a long while into the future.  Let us know what you're finding out there!

Thanks to everyone who joined us at Avy Awareness Night last night! What a great turnout and we're thankful for all the community support.  Today's Beacon Brushup is a great opportunity to refresh your rescue skills. Swing by the Community School anytime between 9 a.m and 2 p.m. The event is free.