Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Anonymous · Feb 3, 2020 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Trace new snow. Moderate to strong winds.

Snowpack

Not observed

Avalanche

Very large (D3) natural avalanche ran off of the north west aspect of Hayden Mountain South. The slide ran down a path known to ice climbers as the "racing stripes" aka "waterhole slide". The slide initiated from out of view high above the road (11,900 - 12,200). It ran the entire path to the valley floor entraining a huge amount of snow with it. The powder cloud ran up the other side of the valley and plastered the climbing area (and some climbers) with 2-3cm of snow.