Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Feb 16, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
On and off flurries only adding up to around an 1" during the tour. Westerly winds strong enough to move snow. Temperatures chilly especially on ridgelines.
Snowpack
The general snowpack is improving in the Ophir area but depths observed are still on the shallow side and well under a point where we can write off buried weak-layers. Digging on a southeast aspect in upper Swamp Canyon the February crust/facet layer what highlighted in snowpack tests as the layer of concern. Well developed 3-6mm facets and depth hoar linger at the ground, but are now around 70-90 cms from the surface and under pencil and 1-finger slabs. I did get one collapse when refilling my pit as I stepped on where I stacked all the snow from the pit.
Avalanche
Some loose avalanche observed in the new snow triggered by wind-loading and cornice failure, but all insignificant. It looked like there was also some storm snow avalanches in the upper Waterfall couloirs that happened during last weeks storm.