Observation: Turnagain

Temps: 29-39F
Wind: 5-15mph, gust 30mph
Sky: Obscured, visibility was poor at times
Precip: Moderate to heavy snowfall at times
Rain/snow line: At 10:30am 800', at 4:30pm 1600'

When we arrived at 10:30am it was 32F at the parking area (1000') and it was snowing big wet flakes. There was 2" of wet new snow on the ground. It was snowing 2"/hour as we climbed up Tincan for several hours. Snow continued throughout the day in the Alpine, but intensity was lighter in the afternoon. As temperatures warmed up rain/snow line moved up to 1700' by the time we descended around 4pm.
1000'= 2" new
2000'= 10-12"
3000'= 12-16"

Dug a few hand pits and could feel a firm crust on Southern exposures just below the new snow. Dug a quick pit at 2800' on a WNW aspect where the sun crust did not exist and it was challenging to differentiate between the new snow and old snow, but could feel a density change from 4F to 1F. The slab was not well bonded and fell apart easily, (ECTX)

*Prior to this storm we had several days of clear, warm weather, and surface conditions were variable. The sun's radiation left a firm sun crust on Southern and Eastern aspects. Warm temperatures below 1500' created melt/freeze conditions below this elevation on all aspects. In the Alpine on aspects not affected by the sun, variable surface conditions existed (alternating between scoured, Sastrugi, old wind slab, and low density snow.) Pockets of low density snow that were shaded from the sun may have some near surface faceting laying beneath today's new snow. Northern and Western aspects where these pockets of low density snow exist will be more suspect of poor structure.