Northern San Juan
SnowpackAnn Mellick Susan Hale · Dec 30, 2016 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Sunny and mild with westerly winds moving snow above treeline. Battleship getting loaded by today's westerly winds
Snowpack
Assessment of our lower snowpack and snow surfaces today reveals a variety of faceted forms and/or facet/crust combos – depending on slope aspect and slope angle (steep slopes see more sunshine this time of year because of the low sun angle). On paths that were mitigated during the last storm cycle our concern lies with the amount of new/incoming snowfall and how well those faceted surfaces will hold up under the next snow load. Unmitigated paths are holding between 10 and 16 inches of newer, but settled snow. These areas have faceted surfaces as well but we’re also finding a weak interface between the previous two storm layers. This means there’s potential for avalanches to step down into the deeper pack – involving more than just the incoming new snow. Some specific areas are the Champion group and Brooklyns. Most of our paths will hold up to this weekend’s incremental snowfall. Beyond Sunday, we’ll have to wait for updated forecasts.