Northern San Juan

Surprisingly limited natural activity observed on the steep northeast avalanche paths off of Galena. I'd suspect avalanches may have failed early on during the storm here and were covered by subsequent snow based off observations in other nearby areas.

Although overnight temperatures were below freezing, the freeze appeared to be superficial where I travelled. Early morning sunshine and limited freezing hours at low elevations (9000 ft) made for trapdoor conditions while travelling. Cloud cover and winds picked up mid-day, suspending the warmup and refreezing surfaces. Mid-afternoon, we experienced darker clouds and a moment of precipitation before skies cleared again.

Trapdoor conditions and a saturated snowpack prevail on lower elevation slopes. We travelled mostly on west slopes where recent snow has settled and melted. We found lots of collapsing where a dense and moist slab sits above weak facets. If temperatures drop, this slab will firm and become challenging to impact (although shallow). In the meantime, a surface crust keeps skis above the snow and boot penetration to the ground. Instabilities are easily observed in pit tests and travel, but the slab is unlikely to propagate widely, and avalanches on this aspect will likely be smaller, disconnected through terrain features, and would gouge to the ground. I did find a handful of crusts and thin ice layers in the snowpack, but generally, water will run through the snowpack to the ground. There is not a well defined layer for pooling meltwater here.