Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Julia Ledford · Jan 29, 2023 · Northern San Juan

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Observation photo 1

Weather

Strong winds came in at sunset on 1/28 and continued through day on 1/29, moving a lot of snow in the basin. Temps around 20°F and partly cloudy.

Snowpack

HS ranged from 110-160 cm on W-NE aspects near tree line in the basin. On a NE aspect at 11,500 feet, we found about 40 cm of faceted crystals at the bottom of the snowpack, which appeared to be rounding. A stiff slab sits in the middle of the snowpack, with about 30 cm of soft snow at the top (HS 160 cm).

Avalanche

Wind slab released naturally around 2:00 pm on 1/29. North aspect at 12,000 feet just east of the Alta chutes. Estimated R1 D1.5.