| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst
Standard uptrack to 3150′.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
A party on Magnum kicked off a small wind slab on the west face.
Active wind transport with flagging on the ridge
Small cracking kicking mini cornice along the ridge
Weather
Light rain from Girdwood to around 300' heading up the pass with snow showers until Center Ridge and then not snowing at Sunburst parking when we pulled in at 10:30.
Overcast skies becoming broken
Moderate NE winds in the morning with active transport easing off in the afternoon
Temperatures in the low 30°Fs at the truck and low 20°Fs in the alpine
Snow surface
1-2" of new snow over thick sometimes supportable melt freeze crust to around 1200' where the snow on top of the crust got deeper. The crust thinned with elevation and disappeared around 2000'.
Above 1200', 2" of new snow over 3-4" of soft settled snow from the tail end of 1.18 storm. Total 1.16-1.18 snow was around 1-1.5'. Ski pen was 4-6".
Wind effect became noticeable around 2000', lots of wind roller balls
Snow along the ridge was stiff with a thin wind crust, small sastrugi in places and anti-tracks, ski pen 1-2"
Snowpack
We dug 2 pits at 1500, HS: 260, W aspect, there was a thin melt freeze crust 55 cm down with buried stellars (from 1.15) just below. No test results on this layer, ECTX. However, it did pop out as a block with shovel pry behind making it easy to see the grains.
We dug two pits at 2100', HS: 320 cm and HS: 380, W aspect, found the 1.15 layer down 80 cm in 1st pit, CT 23, CT 24, ECTX x2 and down 40 cm in the 2nd, CT 26, CT 23, ECTN 23.
We dug two pits at 2700', HS: 320 and HS: 365. We found the 1.15 layer down 60 cm in the 1st pit, CT 26, ECTP 30 and down 40 cm in the 2nd pit, CT 24, ECTX.
Probing along the ridge it was easy to feel the less resistant snow from 1.15, 40-60 cm below the stiffer wind affected snow.
Runnels near the parking lot at 800'
Crust at 800'
Wind effect on the southern end of Seattle Ridge
Yesterday's skin track filled in and the alders are almost gone!
Flagging along the ridge
Crown from the 1.18 storm and wind texture, yesterday's tracks were mostly covered up
Cracking kicking a mini cornice along the ridge
ECTP 30 @ 2700', Photo: Eric Roberts
Buried stellars @ 2700', Photo: Eric Roberts
Anti tracks along the ridge
Wind effect on the southern end of Seattle Ridge. The scoured ridges were snow covered yesterday.
Magnum north side, you can see the cornices on the ridge hanging over the south side
Pit @ 1500'
Pit @ 2100'