Field Report
Northern San Juan - CO
Report Information
The snowpack has almost doubled since the start of the holiday storm. The new snow is soft but reactive to the buried weak snow from the drought. Since the 25th, the CAIC forecaster has measured 22"/1.6" SWE at the Red Mountain Pass snow plot. Widespread cracking and collapsing, along with remotely triggered avalanches, highlight the weak snowpack.
Sam's trees.
Avalanches
Remotely triggered an avalanche while putting in the skin track. Avalanche failed around 50 yard from me. Lots of cracking on the slope.
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Date | # | Elev | Asp | Type | Trig | SizeR | SizeD | Problem Type | Location |
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12/21/2024
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1 | <TL | NE | SS | U | R1 | D1 | Persistent Slab |
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Date and Time
12/21/2024 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
37.868
-107.732
Area Description
Sam's trees.
Avalanche Comments
Looked natural but old ski tracks in area. |
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12/28/2024
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1 | TL | NE | SS | N | R1 | D1.5 | Persistent Slab |
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Date and Time
12/28/2024 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
37.868
-107.732
Area Description
Sams trees on the ridgeline near Raily boy |
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12/28/2024
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1 | <TL | E | SS | AS/r | R1 | D1 | Persistent Slab |
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Date and Time
12/28/2024 -
12:00pm
(estimated)
Location
37.868
-107.732
Sliding Surface
O
Weak Layer
Interface
Weak Layer Type
Faceted Crystals
Area Description
Sams trees
Avalanche Comments
Triggered while putting in skin track. |
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Multiple Avalanches
Snowpack
Digging a pit on an east aspect below treeline, near where I remotely triggered an avalanche, the snowpack was 110 cm, and all fell in the realm of fist hardness. Even with everything being similar in hardness, you could easily pick out the weak snow, which would fall out of the pit wall while digging. An extended column failed at 13 taps, so the third tap was from the elbow. It appeared that all the new snow needed to do to fail was build a bit of a slab.
Weather
Sunshine to start the day, light snow to finish it out. Winds were light below treeline but stronger in the alpine and on exposed ridgelines.