Northern San Juan
Snowpackdoug byerly · Jan 19, 2013 · Northern San Juan
Weather
3rd consecutive day of warm temps. and very little wind (virtually windless on summit @ 2:45 pm). Big temp. gradients (40-60 degrees F) continue the dessication of our meager snowpack.
Snowpack
Both runs entered the east face at approx. 12,000'. a small pit at both locations approx. 28-30 degrees in angle showed 36-48 inches of which 10-14 inches of previous storm snow plus recent transport at the surface above 24 inches of well bonded, evenly faceted old snow in the midpack above 4-6inches of tempurature gradient sugar, also well assimilated with little air trapped above the bed surface layer, (the ground). A reassuring 8 on both the surface layer and ground layer shovel tests...A go for me today, with no signs of tension in the snowpack. Uphill winds stripped much of the surface snow on these upper east face features, with no cornice on the entire eastface rim. Good skiing, good traveling, goodtimes!