Northern San Juan
SnowpackColin Mitchell · Feb 18, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Clouds rolling in from the southwest. Winds were strong in the Gorge and in the alpine, but light and gusty to the south. Plumes from alpine ridgetops were plentiful in the morning, but had all but ended by 2:00 pm when I headed back to Silverton
Snowpack
Wind, sun, and warm temperatures over the past 48 hours have left crusts in most areas, which were helping to limit wind transport below 12,000'. Some drifting was evident in the Gorge, and Mother Cline had some windslab formation visible on the looker's left side. Plenty of rollerballs and small sluffs along the road all the way from Silverton to Ouray. Tonight's snow will easily slide off of the wind crusts that have developed near the top of the pass. Lower elevations and sun-exposed slopes, like the Ledges, have a melt-freeze crust which will help to limit loose activity for a while. The Eagle group is starting to melt out but still has snow cover top to bottom. The Brooklyns have seen little change since mitigation on Friday.