Northern San Juan
AvalancheKrista Beyer · Apr 21, 2025 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Sunny and warm with a light breeze. Temperatures around 10 degrees warmer than yesterday at pass level.
Snowpack
Despite recent north winds and a few reported 2-inch wind slabs found adjacent to ridgeline on south slopes, the deepest drifts still exist on north-facing terrain. I found around 12-14 inches of cold, drifted, and settled snow on high north slopes. New snow was unreactive to ski pressure apart from some cracking in a surface wind skim adjacent to ridgeline. West and southwest slopes hold about 5 inches of recent snow that has already undergone a supportable melt-freeze cycle. This snow sits just above the old dusty surface. With current warm temperatures and ample sun, most loose avalanches will be confined to the new snow and slide on the new/old interface.
Avalanche
The only recent avalanche activity observed is loose activity. Most loose slides were on steep north slopes near rocky terrain features. I saw a couple of small Loose Wet slides on a southwest slope which stayed within the recent storm snow.