Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Feb 7, 2021 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Calm below treeline but winds increased on open slopes above treeline. Few clouds with ample sunshine. Mild temperatures in the mid teens
Snowpack
Today, I set out to monitor wind-loading and assess the snowpack specifically below treeline. To my surprise, even with weather stations recording wind speeds in the teens and twenty's I did not see much snow blowing off peaks nor any natural avalanche activity. It seems that overnight winds likely depleted snow in fetch's available for transport or the surfaces are so hard in the alpine it will take a very strong wind event to break them down. Hard slabs.. yuck! Below treeline is a mixed bag depending on aspect. Sunny slopes are a combination of crusts and facets and overall non reactive. West slope feel hollow and fully faceted. While shady slopes, north and east, have the slab over weak layer combination we have been discussing. This slab/weak layer comb is the culprit for recent avalanche activity, but stability test are showing that it is getting harder to trigger. Alas its hard to ignore the presence of a 25-30 cm layer of facets and depth hour sitting within the top meter of the snowpack. So... though avalanche are getting harder to trigger, if triggered avalanche size will be large.
Avalanche
No new avalanche activity observed.