Southern San Juan
SnowpackJeremy Yanko · Jan 2, 2024 · Southern San Juan
Weather
Clear with a light southeast breeze with mid-daytime temps around 30F
Snowpack
The setup in this path sitting around 10,300ft with an E/NE aspect is generally weak, top to bottom with a Boot pen of 40cm and Ski pen at 10cm. Overall Height of snow was a consistent 60cm (+/- 10cm) on top of the second tier in the West Lime path. The master stake sitting at the top of the first tier of the path currently sits at 26 inches. The brunt of this snowpack below the surface consists of mostly Fist to 4F- 1-3mm facets and rounded grains perched above 4-5mm chains of depth hoar at the bottom. There really is not much integrity to the "slab" above the depth hoar where snowpack tests yielded high scores= ECTX, CT28, CT25, CT27 BKN @15cm. What's not consistent with the setup at this location is the current surfaces for the new slab to form upon. Alike most of the region, the north wind event last week left a lot of damage, even in open areas below treeline. The wind wind event also teamed up with some unseasonably warm days and large diurnal temperature gradients at the lower elevation band leaving a variety package of melt-freeze crusts, faceting wind crusts, knife hard wind-slab and ongoing near-surface faceting. The thinner wind-slabs proved to be reactive to some ski stomps but isolated to the size of a pool table at best. Dry-loose facet sluffs could be provoked from 40+ degree features but did not amass enough to be class 1 avalanche.