Southern San Juan

Avoid traveling on slopes beneath large cornices and stay well back from cornices when traveling along ridgelines. Warm temperatures are increasing the likelihood of large cornice falls and cornice-triggered avalanches on slopes below, but these features are notorious for breaking unpredictably. Use caution on upper-elevation northerly slopes where you may still find areas where wind-drifted slabs of snow connect across the terrain and rest above above thin weaker layers buried around two feet deep. Stick to wind-sheltered slopes for safer options.

Warming temperatures will affect lower-elevation slopes beginning with slopes which face east, then south, then west as the day progresses. Avoid rocky and vegetated areas where the snow may be less supportable as temperatures warm, and retreat if you start sinking into wet surface snow past your ankles. Plan your travels to account for these wet snow problems, and exit steep slopes if you start seeing rollerballs of wet surface snow.

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