Northern San Juan
AvalancheMaddie Grote · Jan 31, 2025 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Warm. Light breeze above treeline.
Snowpack
Heavy, yet still fun snow, even in the north facing trees. A crust had formed on the south facing slopes that did not affect the snowboarders but was very hard skiing for the skiers. The south facing slopes were very firm in some places, where a ski pole could not penetrate very deep. North faces had pole deep, or deeper snow with at least two layers still obvious.
Avalanche
After the first person in our group finished transitioning, he began to ascend the south facing side of the gully. After a few steps, a very loud whomph occurred and we witnessed nearly the entire visible part of the gully, north and south facing, collapse and crack, sending a visible ripple through the snow. One small slide released on a steep enough section of the north facing side. The crown was probably 1-1.5 feet deep.