Northern San Juan
SnowpackMatt Steen · Dec 31, 2012 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Light S-1 snow all day. Less than 1 inch accumulated during the day.
Snowpack
Previous strong winds built wind slabs on ridgelines and on west trough north to east facing slopes near and above treeline. These wind slabs, which averaged 5 inches thick extended below treeline to around 11,300 feet on east facing slopes. New snow (3-4") rests on this pencil hard, mostly supportable wind slab. Weak faceted snow at the ground, and Decembers persistent slabs are buried under this wind slab. Buried faced snow and weak interfaces within persistent slabs remain the primary problem near and below treeline. West facing slopes below treeline were generally thin with only 1-2 feet of snow. Large grained facets are buried at the ground, and will prove to be a future problem as snow adds up this winter.