Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Adam Babcock · Feb 25, 2013 · Northern San Juan

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Weather

Clear and cold but intense solar input warmed snow surface as high as treeline and dramatically at lower elevations.

Snowpack

Shear tests yielded easier results near BOTTOM of snowpack than shear tests of mid- and upper-snowpack. ECT of 7 (with propagation, Q2 - rough) and CT of 5 (Q2 - rough) in advanced facets BENEATH old thin crust eroding to facets - this shear plane approx. 35cm from ground. I thought this was interesting because shear tests in mid- and upper-snowpack yielded more difficult results: ECT 23, CT 17 (rough, slow, no propagation). We dug two "hasty" pits in slightly different locations (SW and W aspects) near top of popular bc ski run - Cemetery path - across highway from Sam's Trees.