Northern San Juan

Snowpack

Now we have the same old junky weak snowpack with a new load on top. Fresh soft slabs sit perched on a very weak and largely cohesionless snowpack on shady slopes near and below treeline. New slabs very prone to skier triggering in steep terrain, with slides failing in basal facets. Some triggered slides look to have triggered sympathetic slides. New snow looks quite slabby and sits on older harder slabs above treeline. Above treeline areas looked quite loaded and pillowed from last night's bout of strong southerly winds. Lots of loose slides and thin slabs out of steep rocky terrain on all aspects.