Southern San Juan
SnowpackKrista Beyer · Feb 28, 2025 · Southern San Juan
Weather
42 degrees and sunny. A pleasant day for taking a stroll and skiing the sunnies.
Snowpack
Before getting to pits here is some drought data. Two nearby SNOTEL sites sit at 57% and 38% of the 30 year median. The two sites are separated by about 900 feet of elevation. Warm weather and warm early season storms are likely responsible for the 19% gap in averages. A visual inspection of low elevation slopes also tells the story of a well below average existence. I dug on a wind-loaded northeast slope near treeline and adjacent to an avalanche that had failed naturally during the mid-February storm. A cohesive slab of snow sits above faceted snow. Moderate propagating failures received during tests indicate the structure remains poor and our Persistent Weak layer persists. Below treeline the structure exists as well on slopes that maintain snow coverage (W-N-E), but a generally shallow snowpack, and thin overlying slab make the size of a potential avalanche likely small and isolated in nature. I also dug on an east slope to look at warming. Consistent snow coverage near treeline is preserved on east, but begins to become more spotty as the aspect turns south. Evidence of the previous warmup early February can be found in the lower snowpack in the form of clustered grains and columns of ice. No propagating results were found here.