Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Josh Hirshberg · Feb 23, 2016 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

HST 25-30cm. Light snow, significant riming (!?), and minimal visibility above 12,500ft. Temperatures warmed through the morning then dropped starting mid-day. Winds above treeline were generally light, just barely transporting snow, but became moderate in the afternoon and shifted more NWrly.

Snowpack

Significant new snow accumulations. Generally few signs of instability, and surprising lack of Wind Slab and drifting. It did exist on isolated S slopes and crossloaded features well above Treeline. Minimal cracking in isolated Wind Slabs. Snow was generally soft, uncohesive, and well bonded to old snow interface at most elevations and aspects. Found drifts up to 1 meter deep at 13k ft. Also saw a mid-storm interface in isolated wind-loaded area.

Avalanche

One recent avalanche in Upper Commodore Basin.