Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Jeff Davis · Jan 7, 2018 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Temperatures were mild, under clear skies, and ample sunshine. Cloud cover quickly burned off as storm moved out early this morning.

Snowpack

The snowpack remains thin on most slopes. 4-7 inches of low-density snow fell in the Ophir area in the past 24 hours. Snow depth increased with elevation. Wind-loading was observed on high peaks in the am and the new snow was settling quickly on sunny slopes. Drifted pockets of snow were observed on ridgelines up to 50 cm's deep. Isolated cracking was observed in the deepest pockets of drifted snow at the new/old snow interface. Facet near the ground were well developed.

Avalanche

Intentionally trigger a small avalanche in the new snow on a NE facing slope btl. The new snow slid on the slick surface near the ground.