Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Zach Lovell · Jan 31, 2015 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

OVC

Snowpack

E-Ticket 87 Degrees East 12,000 feet With the dry spell of the Northern San Juans finally ending, wind slabs have begun to develop even outside of W-N-NE facing slopes. We observed small yet rapidly growing windslabs on East facing slopes above treeline in backcountry areas surrounding Telluride Ski Resort, namely Bear Creek. At the time of our observation snowfall totals were at 1 inch with windslabs averaging 3-4 inches in height. Although stubborn to trigger, the continuous snowfall in the N. San Juan region could heighten the likelihood of triggering these windslabs.