Northern San Juan

Good natural cycle around the Silverton area. Avalanche are pushing into Very Large in size with wide propagation. The largest avalanches were observed on the northeast and east slopes.

New snow makes up about half the existing snowpack. Collapsing, cracking, and recent natural-avalanche activity highlight current conditions. Digging on an east-slope below-treeline snowpack test highlighted a layer of facets sandwiched between two crusts as the layer of concern and something to watch out for. The pit was dug at the start of the tour after several large collapses. The pit was at a lower elevation where the snowpack seemed weakest, but I was able to triggered collapses and cracking on most open slopes. Nothing moved more than an inch. The snowpack still feels hollow in many below treeline areas, and the new snow has not stiffened too much yet.