Observation: Turnagain

Location: Tincan

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Standard Tincan uptrack 2200 ft.with a deviation to towards the SW to get into undisturbed snow.  No recent natural avalanches, whumping, or shooting cracks. Plenty of roller balls from the recent rain, wet snow, warm temperatures and wind near and above treeline. Supportable crust to 1400 ft, becoming breakable crust above 1400 ft. New snow increasing from a trace at 1000 ft to 4 in at 2200 ft.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Observer Comments

No observed

Weather & Snow Characteristics
Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.
Weather

1200 hrs: 1000 ft, 31 F, calm, S-1, Overcast
1430 hrs: 2200 ft, 31.5 F, calm to light, S-1, Overcast
1500 hrs: 1000 ft, 32 F, light, S-1, Overcast

Snow surface

1000 ft: trace new snow, stout melt freeze crust 15 cm thick, runnels
1380 ft: crust transitions from supportable to breakable, runnels
1500 ft: 2.5 cm new snow over the breakable crust, runnels
2200 ft: 12 cm new snow over a thin breakable crust, still evidence of runnels and lots of roller balls along uptrack and observed up into the Alpine evidence of the combination of wet surface snow and wind under the new snow.

Snowpack

1000 ft: HS=30-40 cm, stout 15 cm MFC over wet grains
1700 ft: HS=73 cm, SW aspect, 26 degrees incline, ski penetration = 20 cm, boot penetration = 53 cm. Runnels resulted in variable snowpack in pit. One side of pit was much more saturated and contained a second MFC. Basal facets were not reactive and were wet and rounding. See pit profile photo below.
2200 ft: HS= 104, SW aspect, 20 degrees. New snow over a distinct layer of saturated snow 50 cm that looked almost blue, this sat over moist snow in the lower third of the pit. This moist snow included the layer of concern i.e. the Thanksgiving facets (over the basal m/f crust). The facets were moist and reactive in CT tests but not in ECT tests. See pit profile below.

Photos & Video
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