Northern San Juan
SnowpackJeff Davis · Jan 7, 2023 · Northern San Juan
Weather
Light wind, ample sunshine and mild temperatures.
Snowpack
Dug a few quick pits on northerly slopes around 12,000'. The snowpack was approximately 120-140cm and dominated by holiday storm sitting over ~20cm's of weak sugary snow near the ground. The mid-pack slab ranged from 1 finger to 4 finger in hand hardness under 40 cm's of dry fist hard snow on the surface. Compression tests produced easy and very easy results failing on the basal facets. Sunny slopes were "hot pow" by early afternoon and we can expect a crust to form overnight. The snowpack is growing, but the natural and explosive triggered activity since the holiday storm has been impressive and humbling. Long time observers are seeing areas avalanche that have not run in years or "as big as I have seen that go". Mitigation results are variable but point to shallow trigger points, sympathetic avalanches, deep crowns near ridgeline, and large propagation.