Northern San Juan
SnowpackChris Bilbrey · Apr 16, 2019 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Skies varied from obscured to overcast to broken. Off and on light snowfall between 11:00 am and 1:30 pm with no measurable accumulation. Southwest winds were moderate to strong along ridge lines. Last nights freezing line hovered around 11,600 - 11,700 feet with slope-to-slope variability in thickness of frozen surface.
Snowpack
Despite warm overnight temperatures, snow surfaces below treeline were a mixture of supportable and breakable crust in the morning. Ski penetration was around an inch or two with boot penetration around two to five inches. In areas with lots of bushes and rocks, the snow surface became punchy and hollow. We observed roller balls and small loose wet sluffing below treeline. Arrival of clouds and wind kept sunny snow surfaces frozen near and above treeline. Recent storm snow on northerly-facing aspects near treeline became moist while the same aspects above treeline remained cold and dry. We found generally safe avalanche conditions above treeline. Light wind-loading observed along ridge lines at higher elevations that did not form new wind-slabs in the terrain we traveled in.