Avalanche forecast

Gunnison

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 5 months ago.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

Highlights

The avalanche danger will start LOW in the morning, and it may rise to MODERATE as the snow warms.  Wet loose avalanche concerns may develop as temperatures increase by 10 degrees over Saturday.  Monitor the snow surface throughout the day, and if you find more than a few inches of wet surface snow, loose avalanches are possible.  You can reduce risk by moving to cooler aspects during the heat of the day.  An isolated risk lingers for slab avalanches on drifted terrain features.  Identify heavily drifted terrain with stiff surface textures and steer around them.

Avalanche problems

  • 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.  There could be a few natural avalanches from steep, rocky areas on sunny aspects.  Avalanche size will typically remain small.  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.  A small loose avalanche in extreme terrain can have serious consequences.

    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

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Previous drifting over the past few days has left isolated drifts across the landscape.  Northwest and north winds redistributed snow Thursday night through Friday night.  Stiffer textures will typically indicate drifted snow.  Several wind slabs have been triggered over the past two days on Gothic Mountain and Mount Axtell.  Avalanche size will generally be small, but even small avalanches in extreme terrain can be dangerous.  Identify stiff pockets of drifted snow and steer around them to reduce your risk.

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

    Photo: Sam Lesnikowski

Avalanche Discussion

An increase in temperatures may drive the avalanche hazard upward throughout the day.  Temperatures on Saturday remained cooler than expected, and wet avalanche activity did not appear to develop.  However, temperatures will increase by about 10 degrees, possibly more, on Sunday.  The increased warmth may cause wet avalanche conditions to develop during the heat of the day.  East slopes will warm first, followed by southeast, south, and then westerly slopes in the afternoon.  If you find that the snow surface is warmer than you anticipated, you can switch to an aspect that received less solar radiation.  Steep, rocky terrain features often warm faster and could produce a few natural avalanches.

A lingering threat of wind slab avalanches will require your management.  These stiff drifts may be found below ridgelines, cornices, or cross-loaded behind smaller terrain features at mid elevations.  These avalanches on Gothic and Axtell give a reasonable picture of what you should expect to encounter.  Most wind slabs will be small in size, but could pose a serious threat if you are riding in exposed, extreme terrain.  Carefully read the snow surface to avoid being caught off guard.  An 'unlikely' avalanche problem is not impossible to find.

You may have noticed that no danger rating was issued for Monday.  Today marks the final daily avalanche forecast for the season.  We plan to write general snowpack updates into the future that will include detailed snowpack and weather information.  You can expect an update to be published tomorrow morning.  These updates will coincide with changes in weather patterns, i.e., storms or dramatic warming.

Regions covered