| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Seattle Ridge
Thanks to everyone who came out to the annual Turnagain Takeover!
We got out for a quick ride in the afternoon and got eyes on some recent avalanche activity in the Seattle Ridge back bowls as well as some activity on the skier side of the pass. We saw fresh slab avalanches in Zero bowl and Main bowl, as well as the front side. We also saw loose snow avalanches (natural and human-triggered) all around Seattle Ridge. There was one wind slab that looked to be a natural release across the highway on Tincan’s CFR. We also saw some major active wind loading in the afternoon.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Wind slab avalanches on NW, W, and SE aspects. Most of theses look to have failed on the 3/16 interface, but we didn't get close enough to any of the crowns to tell if there were any persistent weak layers involved. The avalanche in Main Bowl was noteworthy for how it propagated around an older cornice feature.
Most of what we saw was relatively small, maybe just barely large enough to bury a person.
Weather
Mostly sunny for most of the day with light northeasterly winds in the parking lot and strong winds up on the ridge. No precipitation during the day.
Snow surface
Southerly aspects were really heating up in the afternoon. We watched natural wet loose avalanches happening on the front side of Seattle Ridge, many of which were starting on the south-facing half of the steep gullies. There were also a lot of rollerballs on east and south aspects. Northerly aspects remained cold and dry. There was about a foot of new snow since 3/16 in the area.
Snowpack
We did not dig any test pits. In quick hand pits, we found about 12" new snow since 3/16, with around 4-6" in the past 24 hours. There was a very thin crust that we couldn't feel while we were riding but could identify in pits about 6" deep. This went up to at least 2200'.
Natural wind slab avalanche at the top of zero bowl, with some serious wind transport happening in the foreground. 03.19.2022
Snowmachine-triggered slab avalanche in Main Bowl. The way this propagated up and around the old cornice feature hints at a persistent grain form. 03.19.2022
Looking across the highway at a natural wind slab on Tincan's CFR. 03.19.2022
Intense wind transport along the Sunburst ridgeline. Photo: Andy Moderow. 03.19.2022
Blowing snow in the mid elevation band on Magnum. Photo: Andy Moderow. 03.19.2022
Skier-triggered loose snow avalanches on Widowmaker. 03.19.2022
Rollerballs below some trees on an east aspect in Main Bowl. 03.19.2022
Natural wind slab on the front side of Seattle Ridge this morning. 03.19.2022