Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Mar 5, 2022 · Northern San Juan
Weather
From sunshine to snow squalls. Winds felt stronger at upper elevations.
Snowpack
2 inches of new snow was measured at the top of Red Mountain Pass this morning. About an inch of additional snow had fallen by 3 pm with precipitation intensifying after sundown. The new snow is falling on a snowpack that had started the spring transition and varies greatly from aspect to aspect. Warm creamy snow on a refrozen surface on south while more winter-like conditions persist on northerly slopes. Digging down on an open northeast facing slope around ~11,200 the buried layer of facets that developed on the surface prior to last weeks whopper of a storm remains the layer of concern. Stability tests in my pit showed the snowpack is adjusting and it is getting harder to trigger an avalanche on that buried weak sugary snow but as new snow adds stress this layer could once again become reactive. We could see a storm interface develop overnight but triggering something on that layer around 60 cm's from the surface remains the primary concern. I experienced collapsing and cracking today on southerly slopes that had refrozen. Southwest winds were moving snow at and above treeline.
Avalanche
No new avalanche activity observed today.