Northern San Juan
SnowpackAmy Pertuz · Jan 17, 2023 · Northern San Juan
Weather
25cm of new snow at pass level. S1 this morning with light winds shifted into blustery SW winds transporting snow with S2 precipitation mid morning. Moderate blowing snow was moving snow in open below treeline areas. Departing the pass mid day, precipitation rates tapered off below 10,000ft level on Red Mountain Pass, and winds were completely calm below Ironton and into the Uncompaghre Gorge.
Snowpack
HN24 25cm with storm totals just over 60cm in below treeline areas traveled. Storm snow sits atop a fairly friable melt-freeze crust formed at the end of last week. Surface snow was cracking to a few ski lengths long in more open areas where the wind was thickening storm snow. The snowpack is approaching 2m deep here (184cm) and the persistent weak layer of concern is 140cm below the surface. I was able to get propagating failures in this layer with 30 taps for an Extended Column Test (ECTP30, down 140cm). This points to the low probability, high consequence nature of the Persistent Slab problem in this area.