Avalanche Essay....

The San Juan Mountain range has been both a beautiful and enjoyable place to do winter activities for many years.  Although these mountains seem like a wonderful, safe place, a silent danger constantly plagues many slopes ideal for skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and snowshoeing.  This danger is known as an avalanche, and from our weather conditions to snow pack, the San Juans are nearly the most dangerous area in America when it comes to these mighty snow slides.  

The height of this danger is caused by several factors.  One of these aspects is the drastic change in weather the San Juan area faces daily.  A large snowfall can be followed by many sunny days, creating a sun-baked crust as the top layer.  Soon after, more storm systems may move in causing either a large shift in snow due to wind, or an immense amount of snow dropped on the slopes in a short period of time.  Many may see this as the perfect powder day, but the sun-baked crust under the fresh snow can not usually hold the weight of the new snow, and will become a bed surface, or the surface on which the snow slides, resulting in unstable snow conditions.  Even the slightest amount of weight, such as a skier, can trigger an avalanche when conditions such as these are formed by weather.  Another factor that can lead to avalanche danger is the snow pack.  Generally, once a snowflake has hit the ground it changes in one of two ways, depending on vapor and temperature differences.  One such way is by becoming rounded and tending to bond well with other snowflakes like itself.  When flakes to this, a "slab" is created.  Another way a snowflake may change is by becoming angular and grain-like.  Flakes like these do not bond well together and result in a "depth hoar," which is a layer that becomes a weakness in the snow pack.  When a slab layer ends up on top of a depth hoar, conditions for an avalanche are suddenly created, the heavy top layer has difficulties staying put when it is found on top of a weak layer.  When this type of snow pack occurs, it is very easy for an avalanche to happen.  Drastic daily weather changes, and snow pack are just two factors that are key in the height of avalanche danger found in the San Juan Mountains.

Although the San Juan Mountains are a perfect playground for a variety of winter activities they are also extremely avalanche prone.  From weather to snow pack, these beautiful mountains have been set up with just the right equations to become one of the most dangerous areas in the United States when it comes to avalanches.