Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Jasper Thompson · Apr 2, 2019 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Clear to partly cloudy sky thooughout the morning. Temperatures were comfortable, but below freezing. We encountered a moderate W to SW wind near and above treeline which kept things cool. Snow was being transported.

Snowpack

Near and Below treeline 2 to 5 inches of low density powder overlay a supportive slab. Above treeline on a north aspect we found a shallow snowpack around rocky features. In some locations height of snow was about 150cm. A 30cm pencil hard slab overlaid a largely faceted snow pack. We observed ECTP15 30cm down. Despite Low danger this caused us to question our decision of traveling through complex terrain. We turned around and had great conditions, down the track, on the supportive snowpack with fast powder on top.

Avalanche

We observed what appeared to be a wet slab in south facing extreme terrain. Above Treeline between Hematite and Cataract Gulch.