Northern San Juan
AvalancheJasper Thompson · Dec 17, 2019 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Comfortable but crisp at 11am. Significant wind transport off of the summit with strong North-East wind.
Snowpack
The snowpack in this area is complex and highly variable. A pit dug at about 10,200' NW adjacent to the main King Solomon track had a height of snow of 100cm and revealed, from top down, 25cm of right side up storm snow, followed by a midpack ranging from a 4F to 1F, on top of 10 cm of depth hoar and facets. Of note in the midpack was a crust at 60cm and buried surface hoar at 30cm. Neither of these layers were reactive in tests. Snowpack tests of ECTP14 and CT14-SDN occurred at the ground. The ground was a rock slab. In the center of the path at the same altitude the HS was about 35cm and basal snow was cohesive and easily formed snowballs. Snow in the forest was about 25cm deep and up to 10,800 feet; a slab was hardly present, but the snow was slightly harder midpack than the surface or ground. Basal snow showed cohesion.
Avalanche
On King Solomon debris from an avalanche which may have occurred 20191208 was observed on a NW aspect from Near or Below Treeline we could not see the crown. SS-N-D2 stopped in the upper track. Similar avalanche debris was seen on Galena but at a much lower elevation, stopping at the base of the path.