Southern San Juan
AvalancheChris Bilbrey · Dec 4, 2023 · Southern San Juan
Weather
Nice sunny afternoon in the mountains. Generally light winds with occasional stout gusts.
Snowpack
We observed cracking and audible collapses on small, wind-loaded test slopes that face west to north near and above treeline. The slab above FC/ DH at the ground ranged 12 to 18 inches, and the basal layer is 6 to 8 inches thick. Digging on west-facing slopes near and above treeline, we found the PSa structure alive and well. Compression Test (CT) consistently produced sudden collapse failures with 10 to 13 taps. Even though the PSa structure exist on west-facing slopes, areas big enough for larger slides seem more isolated in distribution. This is probably due to the fact the last storm brought strong west-northwest winds. This hard-over-soft combination seems more concerning near treeline where less wind effect stripped the slab over weaker snow.
Avalanche
Small wind-slab avalanche in the Naked Lady couloir.