Southern San Juan
SnowpackChris Bilbrey · Jan 4, 2021 · Southern San Juan
Weather
Mild, spring-like day in the mountains with a light breeze along ridgetops. Thin cloud cover passed over in the late afternoon that didn't decrease visibility.
Snowpack
Recent warm temperatures have promoted rapid settlement and stiffening of the upper snowpack on many near and below treeline slopes. We found settlement cones in the 8 to 10 inch range on shady aspects above 11,000 feet. Soft surface snow still exist on northerly aspects while a new melt-freeze crust was forming on solar aspects by this afternoon. Wind-sheltered south and southeast aspects at treeline and higher remained soft yet supportable from daytime heating. Lots of drifting and scouring in the alpine with some ridgelines stripped to bare ground. The mountains have become quiet once again with not one collapse or shooting crack observed. Multiple concerning faceted crusts persist on southeast aspects that produced multiple propagating failures in ECTs with moderate and hard force. As the overlying slab continues to settle and stiffen, this will make impacting weaker snow and triggering an avalanche on these layers more difficult. Therefore, avoiding shallower parts of slopes will be important travel management moving forward.