Observation: Turnagain

Route: Sunburst parking lot up the west ridge to approx. 3200 feet.

Wx: Sunny temperatures 35 up to 41 degrees F. Winds were gusty from SE and NE.

Recent avalanches: Numerous old slides with some newer point releases from the
last 24 hours.

Signs of instability: Pin wheels, little transport despite strong winds

Surface Conditions: Breakable melt freeze crust down low, a solid crust from about 2500′ to 3000′ and thin dense layer of new wet snow over a firm base above 3000′.

Snowpack: Pit 1 – 90 cm @ 2000′ wet dense snow over a fist soft 10-15 cm layer near the ground. ECTN with a collapse of the bottom 10 cm after kicking the shovel twice. Pit 2 – 160 cm @ 3000′ mostly dense rounds and wet grains with the usual layer of facets (although wet and mixed) near the ground. ECTN, CT17 @ 35 cm slide on a storm layer.

Overall conditions very crusty with very little penetration. Only limited softening effect from the sun on micro S aspects (although we did not venture out onto extreme S aspects).