Northern San Juan
AvalancheAnn Mellick · Jan 16, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Sunny with light winds and cool air temps
Snowpack
General HS (snow depth) varies between 40cm and 100cm, with an average of ~75cm. The snowpack on mostly all but southerly slopes consists of the Jan 9-12 slab sitting on large-grained faceted snow. Recent storm snow has settled 8" at our RMP study plot since Jan 11th, making the slab more supportive. Cracking and collapsing continued to be common today. While the natural cycle is now long past, human triggering remains likely on steep slopes facing E-N-W. Overall, the snowpack remains touchy and demands respect at all elevations. The snow structure is not going to change quickly... The snowpack is less supportive well on shady slopes well below treeline where the faceting process is chewing through the slab. Large surface hoar noted near valley bottoms.
Avalanche
Evidence of the natural cycle from the Jan 9-11 storm continues to surface as the snowpack settles. I have added some unreported natural and human triggered slides below.