| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Tincan
Standard route to 3250′. Our objective was to assess the snowpack on a loaded North aspect. At 3250′ just before ridge narrows we dug a pit and found 3 foot slab sitting on very weak snow (facets) near the bottom of the snowpack. Tests confirmed that this layer was difficult to trigger, but the very poor structure caused us to not continue along the ridge into steeper terrain. On the surface there was a 4-8″ windslab that failed easily in tests.
Two recent glide avalanches since yesterday, one in Seattle Creek drainage and the other on Eddies.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Two glide avalanches (Eddies SW face, and Seattle Cr. SE aspect)
4" wind slab on North aspect cracked as I was probing test pit site.
Weather
Sunny becoming cloudy by late afternoon
4F at road level, mid 20F's at ridge tops
NW winds 10-15mph
No precip
Snow surface
In the trees below 1500' there was 4-8" settled powder with surface hoar on top (impressive sizes in some places)
Above this elevation there are variable surfaces, settled powder in the trees mixed with wind stiffened snow.
In the alpine ridge lines are scoured, S aspects have 3" pockets of settled, but heavy powder mixed with breakable wind crusts (1-3" thick.)
There is currently not much snow available for transport in anticipation of a wind event forecast to start tomorrow afternoon.
Snowpack
We probed at 3250' on a North aspect just below the steep ridgeline leading towards upper Hippy Bowl. It was easy to feel weak snow near the ground. The height of snow went from 200cm to 100cm just as it was getting steep. We found a 6-8" wind slab sitting on the surface that was easy to trigger in tests. There was a Fist hard layer (4") of facets (1.5mm in size) on top of a m/f crust near the ground that was reactive, but stubborn to trigger in tests. The fracture plane was in the bottom part of this layer near the crust. See pit diagram below.
Glide avalanche on SW face of Eddies
Glide avalanche on a SE aspect of Seattle Creek
Pit at 3250' on a wind loaded North aspect of Tincan
Wind slab (4F hard) that failed easily in stability tests
Variable surfaces: settled heavy soft snow mixed in with areas of wind stiffened snow
South aspect of Tincan, Hippy Bowl.
Winds were picking up in the afternoon as clouds started to move into the area.
An old crown with debris in left gully on Seattle ridge East face - likely triggered naturally during wind event on Dec.30th.
Patches of impressive sized surface hoar near the valley bottom around 1100'