Northern San Juan

Loose Wet avalanche activity on west-facing slopes above treeline.

Windy, which kept alpine snow surfaces cool. Sunny, which quickly heated up and softened crusts at lower elevations.

The snowpack remains cold, dry, and soft on slopes that have the slightest tilt away from the sun. But, tilt towards the sun, and you'll find evidence of liquid water forming on the surface and potentially percolating downward into the snowpack. Steeper slopes that tilt most towards the sun have the thickest crusts and most evidence of water transport.