Northern San Juan
AvalancheJeff Davis · Feb 28, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Beautiful San Juan day. From -13 in Silverton to start the day, climbing into the high 20's on ridgelines and warmer in the valley. Ski boots to flip flops.
Snowpack
An estimated 5"-10" of snow fell in the Ophir area, but the wind stripped it from west and southwest slopes and drifted the snow onto northerly and easterly slopes. At upper elevations, pockets of drifted snow up to two feet deep with extensive cornice development, even below the treeline and cross-loading mid-slope. Due to the strength of the wind, the drifting is lower downslope. Rocks are once again exposed on any windward slopes and exposed ridges. The general wind damage is impressive; but not all the snow went in thin air. The snow on protected near and below treeline slopes was 4-finger to fist in hardness, creating a nice surface to travel through. It seems to have bonded well in many areas, but by midday, the sun was warming the new snow on sunny slopes, and rollerball and pinwheels observed—also, awful glopping to skis at lower elevations. The new load did not seem to trigger anything deeper in the snowpack, but the wind-stiffened surface will be another good sliding surface if this weekend's storm pans out.
Avalanche
A small avalanche observed in upper Waterfall and a large avalanche on Sunshine Mountain seen from highway 145.