Northern San Juan
SnowpackJeremy Yanko · Nov 26, 2021 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Mostly clear and blue skies with calm to light NE breeze at ~11k. Hovering around the freezing mark from 10-12,000 ft.
Snowpack
I Found a range of depths between 10-12,000 feet. At the lower elevation band (10-10,500k) a thin but supportable temperature crust offered relatively efficient travel. Slowly gained elevation in the north facing tree canopy where the snow was variable in depths and less supportable overall. This terrain is desiring 20 inches or more to even out the forest floor. Near and above treeline the snow depths varied from 70-90 cm's. I found old and new Wind Slabs that lacked connectivity and did not crack under my weight on low angle terrain. The recent storm snow combined with the buried near surface facets made for a slick and sometimes unsupportable feel, both up and downhill.