Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Feb 18, 2020 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Beautiful spring-like day in the San Juan Mountains. Chilly morning in shady areas below treeline. Followed by calm wind, clear sky's, and mild temperatures in the alpine.
Snowpack
Very little change observed in the snowpack over the past few days. Avalanche activity is isolated to the most recent snow from the night of the 16th and small in size. Winds continue to play a factor. Even though only 3" of snow was measured, drifts of snow up to 12" were found in cross-loaded gully features. The snow surface on exposed north facing slopes was a bit wind-effected and grabby, but still provided nice travel conditions. Sastrugi, hard slabs and exposed rock observed on windward southerly and westerly slopes. No Cracking or Collapsing.
Avalanche
Few small loose and slab avalanches observed in the new snow. The most significant was in Mineral Basin between the Porphyry and Trico areas. Looked to be triggered by wind-loading overnight.