Avalanche forecast

Gunnison

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Wind-drifted terrain is the most probable place to trigger a slab avalanche, as these two recent human-triggered avalanches demonstrate (Gothic Mtn, Aspen area).  Identify terrain with signs of recent drifting and steer around them, especially if you are riding in high-consequence terrain.  Cracking or stiffer-feeling snow can help clue you into wind-drifted snow.  Clear skies and warming temperatures will wet the new snow on many solar aspects and possibly some lower elevation northerly terrain.  If the snow feels wet and thick, consider pushing snow down test slopes to gauge the likelihood of wet loose avalanches.  You can manage the developing wet avalanche problem by choosing lower-angle terrain, moving to aspects with less warming, or using sluff management techniques.  

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Winds were strong enough to transport snow during much of the storm earlier this week.  An uptick in winds on Thursday night and Friday morning drifted the last round of snowfall from Thursday night, forming a fresh round of shallow slabs.  Winds were generally from the northwest during this time period.  You are most likely to encounter wind slabs above treeline, and less so near treeline.  Cracking and stiffer-feeling snow are signs you have found the wind slab problem.  Avalanches will often be small, but on isolated features, slides could grow large.

    If you are riding in wind-sheltered areas, keep an eye out for loose snow avalanches on steep slopes, or isolated soft slabs in extreme terrain. 

    (3/3/2026) A triggered wind slab on a northeast slope of Gothic Mountain.

    Photo: Sam Lesnikowski

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Warming temperatures and solar radiation will wet the snow surface on a variety of aspects today.  Expect some natural avalanche activity, particularly from rocky areas.  Avalanche size will often remain small, but you can't rule out an isolated large avalanche on terrain with lots of relief.  Monitor the snow surface and utilize test slopes to gauge the likelihood of loose avalanches.  If the snow seems too wet, you can switch your terrain choice to an aspect with less warming to reduce the risk.  Even though the avalanche size will often be small, wet loose avalanches pack a punch and can easily knock you down.

    Expect wet loose avalanche activity like this today.  Most avalanches will be small in size, but pack enough punch to take you for a ride.  This image is from earlier this winter.

    Photo: Evan Ross

Avalanche Discussion

This week's storm was a much-needed return to winter; however, as spring weather returns this weekend with clear skies and warming temperatures, it will create a mix of wet and dry avalanche problems for backcountry users to manage.

Gusty winds throughout the storm produced natural slab avalanche activity at upper elevations.  Most, if not all, of these avalanches appeared to fail in density changes within the storm snow.  You can check out the data from recent activity here.  Recent snowpack tests have shown good bonding between the newly formed slabs and the March Meltdown crusts below, but inconsistencies within the storm snow could produce an avalanche.  This observation from Mount Baldy highlights the good bonding to the crust below and the still-present density changes.  An uptick in northwest winds on Thursday night and Friday morning drifted the final round of snowfall to leeward terrain features.  This human-triggered slide from Gothic Mountain highlights the sensitive nature of wind-drifted snow from this windy period.  This avalanche from the Aspen area adds more evidence of the potential problem where you encounter stiffer wind-drifted snow.  Steer around terrain with evidence of previous drifting, particularly in high-consequence areas or extreme terrain.

In windsheltered terrain on the northern side of the compass, it may be possible to trigger small dry loose avalanches in very steep or extreme terrain.  This observation from Mount Axtel provides evidence of this minor problem.

Loose avalanche concerns rise today as temperatures rebound to seasonal norms.  Wet avalanche activity will not reach the size or frequency that we experienced during the March Meltdown a few weeks ago, but there could be a small natural cycle on sunny aspects today and Sunday.  Keep this potential in mind if you are ascending steep, rocky terrain with lots of solar input.  Start your day early if you plan to ride on the southern side of the compass, as conditions will begin wetting during the morning hours.  Even low-elevation northerlies may get in on the action later in the day as warm temperatures influence the snowpack.

Regions covered