Northern San Juan
AvalancheColin Mitchell · Feb 7, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Bluebird day with calm winds and warming temperatures.
Snowpack
Coverage is a little thinner than on Red Mountain Pass. Below treeline forested terrain was difficult to ski due to shallowly buried objects. Otherwise, the snowpack structure is similar. The mid-pack slab is still evident in the near-treeline elevation band. Test results were mixed, but still concerning (see profile). The basal depth hoar was the largest and most well-developed I have seen yet this year. No signs of rounding yet in this layer. There was plenty of evidence of wind effect from NW winds during and right after yesterday's storm. Drifts had formed behind many terrain features and some slopes were stripped. A thin sun/temperature crust was forming in the afternoon below 11,000'. No cracking, collapsing or other signs of instability noted.
Avalanche
Other than some small sluffs and rollerballs from the afternoon sun, no activity observed