Northern San Juan
SnowpackSusan Hale Ann Mellick · Jan 22, 2013 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Another sunny, mild day. Winds were 5mph at most, until we noticed an uptick at the end of the tour.
Snowpack
Complex and variable. > S-SE aspect below TL Highly sun effected. While these slopes had a burly crust (3"-6") during the morning, by the afternoon they were downright mushy. Skis sunk almost all the way through the thin pack (at most 24 inches). Longer, warmer days and we probably wouldn’t want to be here at this time. Some areas are starting to melt out. Just across the gully we were on NE aspects and back in winter conditions – still sinking to the gound, instead, down in the cohesionless facets. (You better have your wax right!). > Near TL: This is most variable. From sun crusted facets to colder breakable or hard slab, to crackly riffle. On the up-track, near TL, in open terrain we experienced rumbling/rolling collapse on the hardslab wind drifts we were on (E aspect). This diminished once well above TL - but mainly because there was much less snow cover where we were. > Above TL: Variable windslab conditions – some breakable, some supportive. We have low confidence in slopes that are filled in and smooth as well as those that aren’t either stripped nearly clean or showed signs of previous avalanche activity. Looking around you’ll see highly variable wind damage – some large bowl features are filled in and others sustrugied.