Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Travis Laverty · Dec 1, 2022 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Few mid level stratus in the am, few high cirrus later on. -6 at 10, -3 at 1130. Wind light BTL, light G mod NTL/ATL. All SW. Minimal transport. Previous transport and wind stiffening on open N-NE slopes BTL and NTL/ATL N-NE slopes and ridges.

Snowpack

BTL N-NE: 6”-8” HS. Shallow soft slab over well developed facets. Limited signs of slab instability. Mostly cohesion-less with small dry loose gouging into facets on steep northerly’s. NTL/ATL: variable HS from 4” to 24”. Also a soft slab over facets, but a stiffer slab. Widespread cracking running out to 80’, variable thickness from 1” to 10”. Smaller, difficult-to-spatially predict slabs with touchy sensitivity on N and NE. Spooky setup of enough unstable snow to ski, and too-thin more stable snow.

Avalanche

Small Dry Loose on steep northerly’s BTL.