Northern San Juan
SnowpackJeff Davis · Jan 6, 2024 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Clear to start with clouds building in the afternoon. Westerly winds were strong enough to drift in the AM backed off during the morning hours. Chilly temperatures but really in the sun.
Snowpack
A few inches of snow fell late Friday and overnight into Saturday. Westerly wind overnight was strong enough to move the snow and drifts around 24 inches deep were observed. Snow was seen blowing off high peaks till around 11:00am. The drifted snow did not crack under ski pressure on most slopes, but did have a hard time sticking to slick surfaces created by the sun and recent strong wind. The new snow and drifted snow did little to change the overall hazard but provided some nice traveling conditions. Digging in Delta Bowl on a northeast aspect around 12,400 feet I found a mixture of slab/facets. Long column tests did not produce propagating failures but compression tests showed multiple facet layers in the top meter of the snowpack. Though things are quite now the snowpack is weak and set up for step-down avalanches with a large load.