Northern San Juan
AvalancheBryce Gordon · Nov 29, 2014 · Northern San Juan
Weather
The winds had blown north all day, the sun was out and was cooking south slopes. The higher ridges experienced stronger and more constant winds.
Snowpack
The snow pack was consistent. A layer of October facets remained on due north aspects. The top of the saddle had a thick wind pillow, and a wind buffered crust. The two top layers were about 2 feet deep together.
Avalanche
The slide occurred when I was side stepping up the saddle and stepped forward to look at the slope below me. The wind pillow/slab cracked about 4 feet in front of me and the crown moved back to a few inches in front of my skis. The crown propagated about 30 yard across. The depth of the crown went down to the rock and facets. The slide ran about 75 to 100 yards down the slope over a few small rock patches. Large, square yard, slab chunks remained in the debris pile.