Northern San Juan
AvalancheRyan Wichelns · Dec 13, 2020 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Sunny day, temperatures in the teens.
Snowpack
Roughly 6 to 8 inches of new snow on top of the expected old snow: facets and crummy junk.
Avalanche
The slide happened at approximately 10,600 feet on the Corkscrew Gulch Jeep road above Ironton. The slope above the road was roughly 60 feet of a 45 degree angle with a WNW aspect. Almost a road cut. A member of our party got a little close to the the concaved bottom of the slope where it meets the road which triggered the slide. It slid approximately 50 feet to the road, without covering most of the road or contacting any skiers. It was roughly 70 to 80 feet wide with a crown of 8 inches or less. We didn’t investigate too much but the faceted old snow was apparent at the bed surface.