Northern San Juan

Avalanche

Jason Bushey · Feb 8, 2020 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Warm, high to mid 20s with cloud cover almost all day. Winds picked up and short bursts 20-30mph in the AM from the SE on non sheltered ridgelines, but after noon were typically 5-10mph and calm.

Snowpack

Hand pits on NE aspect were 30-40cm were typically unreactive. No cracking and collapsing found. Stayed away from heavily wind loaded unprotected areas. A quick look at SE aspect had 30cm of new snow in the morning on top of a crust with facet formation on top with minimal signs of rounding. Too much wind to do any formal tests.

Avalanche

D2 avalanche around howardsville on Galena shoulder at 11,800' down to 10,000'. NW aspect that originated from treeline ridge. This slope on 1/22 was very thin (20-60cm max) and fully faceted to the ground. This is a repeat offender, but this was the largest it has gone all year.