Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Ann Mellick · Mar 28, 2017 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Cool and calm this AM at pass level -->quickly warming after the sun came up. Clear skies quickly became partly cloudy. Gorge stayed socked in with very light snowfall through the day.

Snowpack

New snow generally did not bond well to old snow surface. Widespread shallow avalanche cycle ran its course overnight (see Avalanche section for details). Storm snow (6-10" deep) sitting on 1-2" thick crusts on sunny slopes- quickly settling.

Avalanche

Widespread shallow avalanche cycle ran its course overnight during high precip rates. Slides seen on most aspects and elevations. Mostly loose dry, some slabs, all from steep terrain. Some were long-runners.