CAIC Observation Report
SnowpackAndrew Temple ยท Nov 5, 2011
Weather
Snowing s1-s2 all day, squalls with intermittent gusty winds
Snowpack
Classic early season San Juan snowpack. Thin, weak, and very reactive. HS 18-30" dep. on aspect with drifts up to 4''. Extensive collapsing and cracking, able to remotely trigger sizable soft slabs from afar, esp. below tl. Ski cut produced a sizable ss below tl, 1.5x20x150. Slides ran farther than anticipated with lots of energy, running on a smooth facet/crust combo just above ground, entraining snow from last 2 storms. Lots of natural sluffing and isolated slabs had run. Hazard observed: considerable. Anticipate that many sizable naturals will be observed on above tl terrain, w-ne aspects when we get visibility tomorrow. Excellent deep-powder skiing.