Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Feb 6, 2016 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Bluebird day. Winds increased throughout the afternoon. Snow was moving at higher elevations in the late afternoon. Isolated to specific areas. Temps warmed surface snow.
Snowpack
Spent the day traveling on the Southerly half. Warm temps were warming the upper snowpack creating a moist snow surface in areas affected by the sun. Snow was glopping to the bottom of my skins all day. In shaded areas snow was cold and dry. HS ranged from 80-110cm's. In open areas you could feel multiple layers of crust facet combos with the pole test. See attached Pit. Propagating failures around 50cm's from the surface.
Avalanche
Avalanches caused by warming of the snow surface and a trigger. I was able to trigger a small avalanche on a steep S facing roll over. Started as rollerballs but gained mass as it moved down the slope. Did not step down to deeper layers.