Northern San Juan
AvalancheKrista Beyer · Apr 14, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Temperatures climbed to 43 degrees at 11,000 feet by 11 am on Red Mountain Pass. Freezing temperatures lasted for 10 hours overnight with a low of 26 degrees. Winds were recorded at an average of 17 mph out of the south with a peak gust of 36 mph at 5am.
Snowpack
Above 11,000 feet I observed a freeze down to 35 cm on southerly and easterly aspects, below which I found wet grains. At 10:45 am surfaces above treeline on east and south slopes were still firm. Surfaces near treeline had 2-3 inches of perfect corn. Let the corn hunt begin! I only traveled on east and south slopes, but word on the street is alpine north slopes have maintained cold soft snow throughout the warmup.
Avalanche
Evidence of widespread small loose wet point releases out of cliffs near and above treeline. Two larger avalanches in the D1.5 range had characteristics of wet slab s.