Field Report
Gunnison - CO
Report Information
Avalanche hazards were small and relatively easy to recognize/manage in the new snow, making for opportune travel conditions through most avalanche terrain. Nevertheless, sensitive wind slabs near alpine ridgelines and developing wet loose issues warranted caution at high elevations.
Original CBAC ob: https://cbavalanchecenter.org/view-observations/#/view/observations/fcc80046-90d2-4e0e-bafe-43967a975681
Southern Ruby Range
Traveled on various aspects to 12,600' on Owen, Purple, and Afley this morning.
Avalanches
A handful of fresh wind slabs (D1) below leeward ridgelines of Mt. Owen.
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Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | Location |
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04/20/2025
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3 | >TL | SE | SS | N | D1 | Wind Slab |
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Date and Time
04/20/2025 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
38.92
-107.119
Start Zone Elevation
12,800 ft
Avalanche Comments
Ran last night or this morning. I could only make out one wind slab crown from my vantage. I'm assuming the other two are also wind slabs, but they could be loose snow avalanches. |
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04/20/2025
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1 | >TL | E | SS | N | D1 | Wind Slab |
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Date and Time
04/20/2025 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
38.92
-107.119
Start Zone Elevation
12,200 ft
Avg Depth
30 cm
Avalanche Comments
Ran last night or this morning. Skiers who traveled near the slab reported 10" to 12" thick. |
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04/20/2025
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1 | >TL | NE | L | AS/c | D1 | Loose Dry |
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Date and Time
04/20/2025 -
12:00pm
(known)
Location
38.92
-107.119
Start Zone Elevation
12,600 ft
Avg Vertical Run
600 ft
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04/19/2025
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1 | >TL | SE | U | N | D1 |
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Date and Time
04/19/2025 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
38.92
-107.119
Start Zone Elevation
12,500 ft
Avg Vertical Run
1,200 ft
Avalanche Comments
Ran late in the storm, but I couldn't tell if it was a shallow soft slab or loose snow avalanche because start zone has seen some wind drifting since. Ran ~1200'. |
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04/19/2025
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1 | >TL | SE | U | U | D1 |
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Date and Time
04/19/2025 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
38.92
-107.119
Start Zone Elevation
12,600 ft
Avg Vertical Run
700 ft
Avalanche Comments
Looks like it ran late in the storm, but I couldn't tell if it was a shallow soft slab or loose snow avalanche from my vantage. There was a group of skiers in this area skiing Jenga yesterday, so it could have been natural or human triggered. |
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04/20/2025
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1 | >TL | E | SS | N | D1 | Wind Slab |
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Date and Time
04/20/2025 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
38.92
-107.119
Start Zone Elevation
12,600 ft
Avalanche Comments
Ran last night or this morning. Note the large crown is an old wet slab. The avalanche documented here is the thin wind slab on the left side of the photo, outlined in red. |
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Multiple Avalanches
Snowpack
Between 11,000' and 12,000', settled storm totals were typically 4" to 6" of dense snow over a stout crust (those elevations saw some moistening/greenhouse warming yesterday). Above about 12,000 feet, storm totals reached up to 10 inches in some areas and had remained dry until today. That snow was starting to get wet on east and south aspects this morning, causing natural and skier-triggered rollerballs. Cloud cover and cooler temps prevented rapid wetting. I found a few fresh drifts up to 18" just below the Ruby Crest ridgeline; these reached only a few feet below the ridge, while most terrain lacked notable drifting. .
Triggered tennis to bowling ball-sized rollerballs and a very small wind slab at 11:30 a.m. on the southeast face of Afley. Shallow dry sluffing on steep northerlies.
Weather
Along the Ruby Range, mostly cloudy skies this morning decreased to partly cloudy late morning, and cloud cover was increasing again as I was leaving just after noon. Light to moderate ridgetop winds with periods of light blowing snow. A dusting of snow overnight on top of the 10 to 25 cm that fell this storm cycle. cloud cover: broken; wind loading: light; recent snowfall (cm): 20; snow avail for transport: small smounts