Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Nov 28, 2019 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Intermittent snow showers during the morning hours. The sky was overcast with brief moments of sunshine for a majority of the afternoon. Southerly winds were moderate to strong. Temperatures in the upper 20's around 11,000' and warmer at pass level.
Snowpack
Snowpack depth ranged from bare ground to snow-drifts over a meter. Average depth around 70cm. The snowpack is deepest on north and east facing slopes. These same slopes harbor well developed weak-layers near the ground. Windward slopes in the alpine have been stripped. Very little slab was observed on slopes below treeline, but easy failures on long column tests, cracking, and audible collapses point to a weak snow structure. I would expect avalanche activity to increase with the incoming storm. Specifically on slopes that have a weak layer at the bottom of the snowpack.
Avalanche
No avalanche activity observed.