Turnagain Pass

After a 10-day storm deposited between 10 and 15 feet of snow at the upper elevations, yesterday was our first day with no precipitation and today will be our first clear sky day. Many of us have been eagerly awaiting this window of high pressure to travel places other than the low angle trees and flats. After two days of snowpack analysis, one day on Seattle Ridge and one day on Tincan, we have few data points to pull from. However, from these we have found both stable and unstable results. The stable results were from Tincan (more on that HERE) and the unstable result was from Seattle Ridge (that can be seen HERE). That said, we should head into today with a conservative approach. Although large connected avalanches are not expected, pockets of wind slab and old lingering storm slabs could be triggered. Keep in mind, these pockets can be large enough to ruin your day.

SUNSHINE:
Warming by the sun is expected to help destabilize slabs that remain tippped on the balance. That makes two trigger mechanisms for lingering slabs and cornices, sun and people. Keep an eye out for warming snow surfaces and roller balling. These are signs the snowpack properties are changing and triggering an avalanche more likely.

Wind Slabs: Strong winds Monday night have formed wind slabs and wind crusts along ridgelines and in exposed areas. 

Storm Slabs: Lingering storm slabs are possible where fluctuations during the storm created layers of crusts, strong snow and weak snow. This is what Graham found on Seattle Ridge on Monday. These storm slabs are most likely to be found at the mid-elevations.

Sluffs: Sun induced loose snow avalanches are possible. These will likely be damp heavy snow and could push you around on steep sunny slopes.

A CALL FOR OBSERVATIONS:
We want to hear what you are seeing!! Please pass on photos/videos/a few sentences of what you see today/tomorrow. We are trying to map out the post-storm snowpack.

Cornice fall may one of the larger hazards today with sunshine acting to weaken these already tenuous bombs. Cornices right now are LARGE – some bigger than a semi-truck. Limiting time spend under these is key. With amount of snow from the last storm, discerning how far back from the ridge you should travel could be difficult, err on the safest side possible as they really can break much farther back than expected!

Photo: Cornice fall on the Tincan Ridge (CFR). This large cornice fell just after the end of the storm cycle, possibly Tuesday. It triggered a wind slab below and ran around 700′ down the slope out of view. This is one the smaller cornices seen in the area.

Glide cracks are moving and coming out of hiding after they were covered by wind and snow during the storm cycle. Although it has been several days since the last glide crack we know of released and avalanched, they are still on the move. Limiting time spend under cracks is crucial, as they will mow anything down in their path if one does release.