Northern San Juan
SnowpackChris Dickson Jeff Davis · Dec 12, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Strong southwest wind, a few clouds, and mild temperatures when out of the wind.
Snowpack
An exfoliating face wash as we traveled along exposed ridgelines. Strong southwest wind moved the most recent snow from Monday/Tuesday and drifted the near-surface facets buried in the upper snowpack. The stiffest and most reactive areas of drifted snow were just over the ridgeline, and these stiff pockets would crack under our weight, especially when given a swift kick. The snow appeared softer and less wind affected away from the ridge. Digging on a northeast slope at the top of Delta Bowl, we found a sought midpack 1-finger slab that was not reactive in snowpack tests. Fist hard facets and early developing depth hoar sit under this slab near the ground and were more pronounced close to rock features.