Northern San Juan
AvalancheBrad Johnson · Dec 5, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Overcast, Temps 24-28, Wind SW 15-20mph on ridges, down in Prospect Basin no wind
Snowpack
Soft Slab between 1-3-ft deep, sitting on top of 6-12 inches of facets, East Facing at 12,100ft (see attached photo)
Avalanche
In total we observed 5 different avalanches. All were 1 - 2 days old, All were East Facing to North East Facing, Three above timberline originating at the ridge crests where cornices had developed. One between Putney and Prospect Peak, One directly off the east side of Putney, One between Putney and Red 3 (see Photo). Two avalanches were just at timberline. One North East facing and in the lower slopes of Prospect Peak. One East facing near the bottom of the Prospect Mine Run. All Avalanches were R2 D2 or possibly D3, with crowns between 2ft to 6ft. All released to the ground exposing rocks and dirt. There were a lot of snowmobile tracks in the basin as well as ski tracks. Some ski tracks were along the sides of the two lower avalanches. It was not possible to tell if the avalanches had been triggered by the skiers or not. One set of tracks had been partially covered by avalanche debree. Several of the avalanches looked to be natural release.