Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Dec 25, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
T-1 inch of new snow fell overnight. Southerly winds were moderate above treeline and strong enough to move snow. Tempatures mild, but extra chilly in the wind.
Snowpack
The new snow from December 24th has stiffened. West and northwest winds moved the low-density snow onto leeward slopes. The wind loading is creating stiffer and deeper slabs. On southerly slopes near and above treeline the new snow fell on a firm melt-freeze crust. The new snow is not sticking well to that surface. Avalanche danger will rise on all slopes over the next 24 hours if the weather forecast verifies.
Avalanche
A skier-triggered and was caught in a large Wind Slab avalanche on the East side of Ophir Pass. The avalanche failed at the new and old snow interface on a south-southeast aspect. The bed-surface of the avalanche was a crust that likely developed during the warm period in mid-December. The skier was not buried or injured in the incident.