Northern San Juan

Additional snowfall and winds continue to stress a fragile snowpack. You can trigger large and dangerous avalanches where firm slabs of snow rest above weak old snow. West to northwest through southeast-facing slopes are the most dangerous. Avoid traveling near common trigger points, such as convex rollovers, rocky outcrops, or the edges of slopes where the margins of a slab are the thinnest and the easiest to trigger. Know that tracks on a slope do not indicate stable conditions. Give yourself a wide buffer from suspect slopes as avalanches can be triggered from a distance and from below.

Strong winds continue through Saturday. Anticipate small reactive wind slabs on lee slopes. Cracking and collapsing are signs of an unstable slope and an indicator to move to slopes less than about 30 degrees steep.

On Tuesday, January 7, a backcountry skier was caught and killed in an avalanche on Red Mountain Number 3, near Red Mountain Pass. The avalanche was triggered on a wind-drifted northwest-facing slope near treeline. Our deepest condolences to the deceased skier's family, friends, and community. You can read the preliminary accident report here.