Avalanche forecast

Gunnison

Crested Butte Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

The primary avalanche problem is loose snow avalanches on steep or extreme terrain. Backcountry riders are taking advantage of the current conditions and riding aggressively, where they are frequently encountering this problem on the northern half of the compass. On slope angles near 35 degrees, this avalanche problem doesn't exist. If you push those slope angles into steep terrain near or above 38 degrees you may need to incorporate sluff management techniques while descending those steep slopes. The big picture avalanche conditions continue to offer a great time to get out in the mountains.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Dry

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

    Dry loose avalanches (sluffs) are the most problematic on the north half of the compass, especially in wind-sheltered terrain at near and below treeline elevations.  Where the upper snowpack is weak and cohesionless, you can easily trigger small sluffs on slopes steeper than about 38 degrees. Ski cuts, moving across the fall-line while descending, or choosing lower-angled slopes are effective techniques to manage this problem. These small avalanches will continue to accumulate mass in big terrain with sustained steep slope angles. Use caution above terrain traps where a small avalanche can pile more deeply, or above trees and cliffs where you could be pushed into these more hazardous terrain features. 

    A great example of sluff management in terrain where sluffs could be more problematic because they get funneled down a gulley.  

Avalanche Discussion

The CBAC spends most of the winter beating the drum about dangerous persistent slab avalanches that are large enough to bury and kill you, and often difficult to predict if they will release. Those typical dangerous conditions keep us from riding steep or extreme terrain this time of year. However, we currently have a mostly stable snowpack and it is very rare that we see conditions line up like this, allowing us to travel in steep or extreme terrain mid-winter. We would more commonly see these conditions if we lived in an area with a more stable Intermountain or Maritime Snowpack. In those areas, the frequently accumulating new snow creates a loose snow avalanche problem most of the year on steep slopes, thus that avalanche problem is more common to manage. In our case, we have received very little snow in January and it's the weakening snow surface that is adding fuel to the loose snow avalanche problem. So here we are in uncommon conditions, beating the drum about a small and predictable loose snow avalanche problem. Since we don't typically have conditions like this, it seems to come as more of a surprise and can catch us off guard. 

The avalanche danger looks like it will be increasing soon with the arrival of the next storm. That increased danger may come from new snow adding additional volume to loose snow avalanches. Or, we will see the creation of new slabs on top of the weak snow surfaces and head back towards a persistent slab avalanche problem. 

Regions covered