Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Jeremy Yanko · Apr 23, 2022 · Northern San Juan

Weather

Organized and steady snowfall prior to 11am. Intermittent showers, periods of sun and northerly winds kicked in thereafter.

Snowpack

This area saw 6" of storm snow near and below treeline and showed little effects from the moderate to strong west/northwest winds. Higher amounts were collected above 12,600ft where we found areas blown in up to 14". Cliff band faces had shed some small Loose-dry sluffs prior to our arrival and continued to do so during brief periods of sun. Cracking was only observed and isolated to just under foot at the higher north/northeast elevations where more of a slab quality had a chance to form. Overall, the new snow bonded well to the old partially re-frozen surfaces below. The new snow came along with yet another defined dust layer near the onset of the precipitation event. Some small and soft cornices had developed along ridgelines but only found one feature that supported propagation and failure to skier pressure. The height of snow measured a rather consistent 300cm in the apron of this north facing terrain confluence.