Avalanche forecast

Gunnison

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Wet avalanche concerns are back on the problem list after another night with a poor freeze and even some rain moving through to keep conditions interesting. If you find yourself sinking deeply into a wet snowpack, then consider avoiding steep terrain so you don't encounter these avalanche concerns. Surface crusts on top of the snowpack will be thinner than earlier in the week and maybe non-existent in some areas, so the window for good travel will also be notably less today.  

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Wet avalanches will be the most concerning on the northern half of the compass. In areas where the snowpack is wet to the ground and unsupportive to your weight, a wet avalanche could entrain the whole snowpack. They will likely need a steep slope to get moving. Wider propagating wet slabs are expected to be less common but not out of the realm of possibilities. Wet avalanches are very difficult to get out of, so if you are caught in even a small avalanche, it could easily push you into more hazardous terrain. 

    This ugly little cement mixer was skier-triggered yesterday on a very steep slope below Mt Emmons. The avalanche started as a wet loose and then propagated wider into a small wet slab. 

Avalanche Discussion

Low temperatures last night dropped into the 30s, with an overcast sky and even a few bursts of rain moving through the area. All these factors will be working against the upper snowpack's ability to refreeze. Without a surface crust to travel around on, backcountry travel will be difficult, and wet avalanche concerns should be expected in steep terrain. Areas with a deep snowpack, like the alpine, will tolerate these conditions better, and you may be able to find a window of better travel. Forecasters this week noted good overnight freezes to start the week. Then, yesterday, the overnight freeze was observed to be less, and the period of good travel was shorter. Now, on Thursday, the typical spring travel advice of getting out early may not apply as well, given that the snow surface didn't have much of an overnight freeze. 

A powder refresh is coming this weekend! If snow forecasts stay on track, the threat of new snow instabilities and the subsequent wet loose shed cycle will cause changing conditions. Breath deep today, and continue to suck that storm closer to Crested Butte.  

Regions covered