Southern San Juan
AvalancheChris Bilbrey · Mar 16, 2022 · Southern San Juan
Weather
Partly cloudy skies in the morning. Skies became overcast mid-day with brief stints of light snow showers (S-1). Mountain tops became obscured during heavier snowfall, but then returned into view once snow shower passed. No measurable accumulation.
Snowpack
The recent streak of warm temperatures and higher sun angles formed an undesirable surface crust from east to south through west-facing slopes near and below treeline. We found soft, wind-textured surfaces on east and west-facing slopes above treeline from recent north wind snow transport. We did not encounter newly formed slabs on slopes where we traveled. Lower-elevation surfaces softened this morning under partly cloudy skies, but increasing clouds, wind, and light snow showers allowed the same slopes to harden quickly in the afternoon. You can still find soft riding conditions on northerly-facing slopes, and a winter-like snowpack. Persistent weak layers have become stubborn to fail in snowpack test below a dense slab on northerly aspects. This stiff over softer structure should not be discounted in steep, rocky areas where recent avalanche activity has lingered in the region. Digging on west-facing slopes near and above treeline yielded a stiff slab that rest above rounding facets buried on 2/21. It was difficult to initiate propagation in Extended Column Test, but we did observe cracks propagating across the column on 29 taps in our above treeline snowpit. The overlying slab was much stiffer near treeline where settlement/ hardening of the slab most likely influenced by warmer overall temperatures. We observed two slope-scale collapses. One on a northeast and northwest-facing slope with a known talus slope below. While this may not be representative of other slopes, it's a good reminder that shallow, wind-scoured areas may still be prone to fail from added weight of a rider.
Avalanche
No fresh or un-spotted avalanche activity.