Details

• Date: 2022/12/24

• Observer: Chris Bilbrey
• Organization: Forecaster, CAIC

Location

• BC Zone: Southern San Juan
• Area Description: Deer Creek > Engine Creek

Weather

• Ridgeline Wind Speed: 10-20 mph
• Ridgeline Wind Direction: N
• Wind Loading: None
• Sky Cover: Few
• Weather Description: A few high clouds over the highest peaks in the morning, but otherwise abundant sunshine. Cool day with moderate north winds along ridgelines above the treeline.

Snowpack

• Snowpack Description: Recent strong winds have done a number on many near and above treeline slopes. The wind built thin windshields on northerly and easterly-facing slopes and helped stiffen the early-December slab's upper portion over drought facets. Many south and southwest-facing slopes have been scoured or stripped of snow cover. Southeast-facing slopes have the most snow of the southside bunch but many areas lack enough snow volume above a faceted crust to be more than an isolated concern. Drought facets buried below December snowfall remain reactive in stability tests failing with moderate force. However, today was the first day we did not observe cracking or collapsing since around December 3. We found the main body of the snowpack stiffer and more supportive in areas where the slab was closer to 2 feet deep and weaker where closer to 12 to 16 inches. On west and northwest aspects where recent winds removed some depth of the main slab, we found a generally softer slab that's weakening. Below the treeline the snowpack is a mix of supportive versus trap door conditions depending on location.

Avalanches

	Date	Location/Path	#	Elev	Asp	Type	Trig	SizeR	SizeD
	2022/12/13  †		4	>TL	N	SS	N	R1	D1.5
Date: 2022/12/13 (Estimated) Observer: Chris Bilbrey Organization: Forecaster, CAIC Area Description: Engineer Mountain Elevation: 12200 ft Maximum Width: 50 ft Maximum Vertical: 150 ft Comments: Generally small slides in steep, cross-loaded gullies below the cliffs.

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