Southern San Juan

Avalanche

Chris Bilbrey · Mar 4, 2022 · Southern San Juan

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Weather

Off and on snow showers after 1 pm. Snowfall intensity increased around 3 pm and southwest winds raged. Blowing snow along ridgetops and peaks in the alpine most of the afternoon.

Snowpack

Cloud cover and cooler temps kept wet snow concerns in the barn. Surface cracking and audible collapses were non-existent where we traveled. In addition, the upper slab was stubborn to fail in Extended Column Test but did produce propagating failures with 21 taps. This suggest the overlying slab has gained strength faster than weak facets below, but could become more sensitive with additional load over the weekend. Buried facets ranged from 4F near treeline to 4F- below treeline on northerly slopes. The last storm delivered multiple dust layers to the La Plata Mountains and the layer closest to the surface has made a grand appearance on the surface. It seems to have enhanced crust formation on southerly-facing slopes, but still buried on the north side of terrain.

Avalanche

No new avalanche activity.