Southern San Juan

Avalanche

Chris Bilbrey · Dec 4, 2018 · Southern San Juan

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Weather

Sunny and cold with light southwest winds.

Snowpack

Very light and unconsolidated recent snow on the surface. Trail-breaking while skinning was boot-top and observed collapsing every third step. Very few audible sounds with collapses and cracking isolated to steeper, wind-loaded areas. One significant audible collapse occurred on a wind-loaded pillow on a NE aspect right below ridgeline. Hardly any evidence of wind-transport in recent days along ridges where we traveled. Worrisome snowpack structure confirmed with propagating results in all snowpits. We avoided wind-loaded terrain and traveled on lower-angled slopes.

Avalanche

Triggered avalanche while traversing in the flats below the slope.