Northern San Juan
SnowpackJeff Davis · Jan 12, 2018 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Snowy day on Red Mountain Pass. Snow showers picked up during the day. Winds were light at lower elevations
Snowpack
The new snow for the past few days has settled into a ~50cms soft slab on most slopes. In areas subject to wind-loading over a meter of drifted snow was observed. The new snow fell on a preexisting snow surface consisting of large facets and depth-hoar. The difference between slopes is how deep that early season snow was. On shady slopes the basal layers were 15-30cm. On southerly slopes the basal layers are only 5-10cms. On 1/11, the sun was out and created a 2cm crust over the new snow on exposed slopes. Whumpfing and collapsing was observed, but mostly on E and N slopes. The snowpack structure is weak. Today, I avoided most avalanche terrain.