Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Second-hand report. On February 11th, the reporting party (RP) witnessed what they thought was a natural avalanche in extreme terrain on NE-facing slopes above the treeline on Hazelden Mountain in Arrastra Gulch. The avalanche initiated in a couloir above a cliff band and triggered a second shallow slide on the apron below the cliffs. Both estimated R1 D1.5, releasing in a surface layer. The RP later looked at the video they shot of the slide and saw a rider involved in the avalanche above the cliff. The rider appears to have been caught and carried some distance before the video begins. The rider comes close to the edge of a large cliff but is able to escape the moving snow before getting swept over. It is unclear if the rider was solo or had a partner.