| Recent Avalanches? | No |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Blueberry Knoll
Toured up to BBK summit from GPRA parking lot.
If you look carefully you can see a shooting crack run horizontally across the slope as the skier descends into the trees.
Checking new snow/old snow bonding:
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Shooting cracks on multiple low angle slopes
Active wind loading, 20-25 mph SW winds
~2 feet of new snow in the last 24 hours
Weather
1100 - 2700 ft (Frostbite Bottom SNOTEL Site) 23 degrees F, max 9 mph SW wind, S2, obscured sky
1300 - 2700 ft (Frostbite Bottom SNOTEL Site) 22 degrees F, max 28 mph SW wind, S2, obscured sky
Marmot weather station was not reporting wind speeds as of 1000 2/19
Snow surface
~2 feet of new snow since 2/17, smooth new
PS 24 inches
Snowpack
No formal stability tests were performed. Multiple hand shears on 20-30 degree slopes, on southernly aspects, around 2000-2400 ft, showed consistent easy failure (HAND - E) within the new storm snow and on buried wind slab. Hand shears revealed cohesive slabs that were 20-24 inches thick.