Observation: Turnagain

Location: Corn Biscuit to Gold Pan

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Toured up the Corn Biscuit ridge, into the Superbowl drainage and up the headwall (between Corn Biscuit and Magnum) to get a look into the Gold Pan zone.

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

None. We watched some skiers/boarders ride very steep lines/spines in south facing Gold Pan without incident (moderate size sluffs in very steep zones).

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

Valley fog reaching 2,000'. Above the fog, sunny with light variable winds. Temps in the teens.

Snow surface

1-1.5cm surface hoar - widespread, all aspects elevations, including ridgelines.
Under the surface hoar was 2" of low density snow that is becoming faceted (new layer of Near Surface Facets, NSF).

Snowpack

Below 2,500': Hard melt-freeze crust around an inch thick sits under the new surface hoar. Dry loose snow below crust, did not dig at lower elevations.
Above 2,500': Only inspected top 1-2' of pack. Under the new 2" layer of NSF a wind crust around 1" thick was found. Under the wind crust was another 2" layer of NSF before the snowpack became right-side-up.
Pit #1: 3,700' on a SE aspect. Snow depth 170cm. No results in stability tests.

Glide cracks seem to be slowing down, except for the crack near the skin track on lower SW Magnum, that one possibly still slowly moving.

Photos & Video
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