Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Feb 2, 2017 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Sky remained cloudy throughout the tour. Winds were Moderate out of the SW in the high alpine and strong enough to move surface facets that have recently developed onto leeward slopes.
Snowpack
Wind has affected the snowpack in the Alpine. Stout and strong slabs were observed on open slopes. On North facing slopes the surface slab was around 10cm's thick and was observed in areas that normally stay protected. The Slab sits on softer snow. On Southerly slopes, even up above 12,500 feet, a crust has developed on the surface. With winds keeping the surface cold today, even setting an edge was difficult at times. Winds were moving any available snow to leeward slopes. Seems like the drifted snow was made of faceted crystals that have developed on the surface over the past week. Very few signs of insatiability were observed. Did isolate and avoid a few specific wind loaded terrain features above treeline.
Avalanche
Two old avalanches were observed. Both on S facing slopes and likely were Wind Slabs that ran on a buried crust.