Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Patrick Ormond · Jan 19, 2014 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Cold clear nights, calm and warm during the day.

Snowpack

Highly variable snowpack. The alpine ranges from thin and faceted, to deep wind loaded, to completely stripped by wind. TL and BTL has a generally deeper pack, ranging from supportable to fully faceted.

Avalanche

Received firsthand info of a remotely triggered hard slab in US Basin on a SW facing slope. Triggered by skier from below on 1/17. We skied up to the debris on 1/18. 150' wide, ran 200', and ranged from 1-3' deep. On 1/19, noticed fresh avalanche on N aspect in US Basin mid slope of peak 12,596. Couldn't see any ski tracks, but we were looking from the top of Carbon Peak. Similar size to 1/17 avalanche.