Northern San Juan
SnowpackChris Bilbrey · Jan 28, 2019 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Snowing and blowing throughout the day with consistent snowfall till around 1430. Skies began to break after 1500 and surrounding peaks were visible by the time we returned to parking area on CR 110 around 1530.
Snowpack
Red Mountain Pass micro-climate was in full effect today. Snow and moderate northwest winds and strong gusts along ridge tops allowed for efficient wind-transport onto leeward slopes. Around 3 inches of new snow accumulated in wind-sheltered areas with up to 8 inches in wind-loaded pockets at 11,800 feet. Using small test slopes, we observed only isolated cracking under skis below newly formed drifts. ECTs produced inconclusive results below newly formed drifts and non-propagating results in buried weak layers down a meter from the surface below a stiff, cohesive slab. Deeper weak layers are beginning to show signs of rounding in east and southeast-facing snowpits. Terrain we traveled in had relatively small fetches for snow transport but would imagine higher elevation, open slopes probably drifted into thicker pockets around one foot deep.