Northern San Juan
AvalancheJason Bushey · Feb 18, 2023 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Warm and sunny in the morning with a drop in temperatures and increase in cloud and S/SW winds after 1pm.
Snowpack
Observed mixed bonding near treeline. Most aspects in this facet factory had a new right side up F+ snowpack sitting over pronounced facets approximately 70-80cm below the surface. On NW aspects hand sheers produced sudden planer results and isolated cracking but as we moved to the NE side we found less pronounced faceting 70cm down and were more of a pencil wind crust with the new / old snow interface. Snow started moving onto N aspects in the afternoon as a heavier wind event picked up and clouds rolled in. Repeat offenders seem to be happening as Porcupine had avalanched again during the last storm, NW aspect On SW aspects generally were consolidated snowpack with 5-10cm ski pen, but in shaded areas would get 60cm ski pen and isolated cracking. No glopping on skins and surface was mildly warming but clouds and wind quickly cooled the surface in afternoon.
Avalanche
2 N facing BTL mine paths avalanched recently and were seen on drive back on CR2. Both were new snow interface D1.5? and similar characteristics to what was reported in Ophir recently. Also noticed and older D2 Natural Avalanche on SW near treeline that occurred early in the last storm as it had a few inches of new snow on top. And an older N facing near treeline D2 from Galena that hit valley bottom, likely early in the last storm as well.