Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Rebecca Hodgetts · Feb 19, 2024 · Northern San Juan

View on map
Observation photo 1Observation photo 2Observation photo 3Observation photo 4Observation photo 5

Weather

Sunny and warm with a light breeze keeping snow surfaces cool.

Snowpack

The snowpack in this area is shallow. In exposed below treeline slopes, facets are sandwiched between multiple melt-freeze crusts. Depth hoar makes up the bottom 4th of the snow cover, and chains of depth hoar up to 2cm long were observed. ECTP13 13cm from the surface, and ECTP25 (cash-drawer drop into the pit) on the top of the depth hoar layer ~40cm from the snow surface. On a treed slope, the slab was much softer; ECTP28 results at the top of the depth hoar. However, the slab crumbled when I attempted to move it as a block.