Northern San Juan
Snowpackmarkus beck · Feb 24, 2012 · Northern San Juan
Weather
sunny skies, calm winds, Tair around 0C, moderate/strong radiation.
Snowpack
Pit location above Carbon Lake on 34dgr E face (at treeline): Hs 139cm. 3 significant weak layers that produced very easy failures. 1) 16cm down 3cm 1F/P old windslab below F storm/windslab- produced sp on isolating CT, ECT3sp, PST 20/100 end all on a melt layer crust with 1mm facets. 2) 55cm down 1cm P faceted melt layer crust below 4F df and very small facets- CT3 Q1 sp, ECT7 sp, PST 40/100 end all on a melt layer crust with 1mm facets. 3) 100cm down 1cm K melt layer crust below 4F/1F small facets and above F very large DH- produced sc on isolating CT, ECTX, PST 5/100 end. However, despite stomping around on trigger points on that and similar slopes, not failures. Spx is very variable over even very small distance resulting in very different stratigraphy; variability due to wind and sun effects. Small change in terrain results in large change of snowpack. Lots of recent avalanches litter the terrain, most of them filling back in but not quite ready to avalanche again, but very weak basal layer still exists and will lead to repeaters. Avy reports have been sounding like a broken record though the situations has indeed not changed significantly since late December: avalanches failing in the upper snowpack likely will step down into basal DH layer. This problem will not go away anytime soon and will present a dire problem once the first significant Spring warm up will come along. This is not the season for big lines, dont let your guard down just because the upper snowpack feels stronger due to settlement.