Northern San Juan
SnowpackChris Bilbrey Jeff Davis · Feb 21, 2020 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Warm, bluebird day with a few passing clouds. Southwest winds were light with moderate gusts.
Snowpack
This prolonged period of dry weather, warm temperatures, and abundant sunshine has left snow surfaces tired and worked-over. Variable snow conditions exists near and above treeline ranging from a slippery melt-freeze crust, firm wind-board, sastrugi, and weak faceted snow. Harder wind-drifted pockets exists in isolated areas of slopes adjacent to softer, cohesionless snow. Places where the snow surface is firm are more likely to support a bigger load before failing from the added weight of a slab. On steeper slopes, the weak snow surface easily sluffed with ski pressure but didn't entrain a large amount of snow while moving downhill - although some sluffs moved quickly. Southerly-facing terrain below treeline got warm during the afternoon with only a few rollerballs observed out of rocky and heavily vegetated slopes. Shaded slopes below treeline continue to weaken and are becoming less supportable.