Northern San Juan

Snowpack

initiated a major collapse on small test slope, with visible cracks that travelled around small lake, and up north facing slope. The photo sequence captured it. crazy. Everyone is pointing to the small convexity the failed from initial collapse nearby…with the big avalanche just getting rolling above, unnoticed for another few seconds… too much hang fire to investigate crown, however, later in the day as the light changed, could see a faint yellow/brown dust layer on patchy bed surface. After an afternoon of many test pits on the bulge in the middle of the basin with ZERO noteworthy results with ECTs, PSTs, RBs…. On the way out, Peter Inglis and I stopped to dig a pit at the location where we originally initiated the collapse. We found extremely weak facets sized 5-6mm below a still knife hard faceting melt freeze crust, with hints of the yellow/brown dust layer, and 3-4mm striated facets above the crust. Performed several stability tests, CT, PST. Results with the CT were CT12 Q1 SC. Results with the 2 PSTs performed were identical. PST 40/100 (End) just above that stout melt freeze crust.