Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Jeff Davis · Jan 30, 2018 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Unseasonably warm day. Light winds, clear skies, and ample sunshine.

Snowpack

Warm temperatures and sunny skies continue to affect the snowpack. The surface was warming at lower elevations and pinwheels were observed off rocky terrain features. Today, I went and checked out a recent Skier-triggered avalanche in Swamp. The avalanche was triggered on 1/28 and ran on the ground. There were lots of tracks on similar slopes without incident. This specific slope was shady and steep. It seemed as if the skier-triggered the slide and it grew in size and even stepped down in a few places as it moved downhill. The debris flowed through trees and went a long distance. In a snowpit on a nearby NE facing slope snowpack tests gave varying results. A crust was observed on similar slopes that were more affected by the sun.

Avalanche

Observed previously reported avalanche on 1/28/2018 in Swamp Canyon near Ophir.