Observation: Hatcher Pass

Location: IM to Rae Wallace to Presidents

Date:
Observer:
Allie Barker Forecaster
Route & General Observations

Toured from IM to Rae Wallace to President’s to Archangel.
8F @ 11am at 4300, calm winds.
11F@ 1400 at 4300, calm winds.
Tracking old buried melt-freeze crusts and trying to find a facet in the snowpack!

Avalanche Details
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Avalanche Details

Observed 2-3 day old wind slabs.
Observed glide crack avalanches growing daily.

Red Flags
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Observer Comments

No cracking or collapsing during our tour.
No new glide avalanches observed today.
No slab avalanches observed today.

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

3-4" new snow over past few days.
8F @ 11am at 4300, calm winds.
11F@ 1400 at 4300, calm winds.

Snow surface

6mm surface hoar growing at and just below ridge lines.
Leeward aspects range from 2-3ft of soft snow, sitting on old crusts.
Windward aspects range from 1-2ft of soft snow, but old crusts can be felt underfoot on occasion.
Boot pen 55 cm, Ski pen 20cm

Snowpack

North aspect- Pole tests, hand shears, and hasty pits on mid and upper elevation leeward aspects show good to excellent stability.
Southeast aspect- Dug pit @4440' and found rounds starting to facets below and in between crusts. Good stability.
Test results show low propagation, high strength.
CT 20 PC@70cm
CT 22 PC@ 51cm
CT 30 PC@ 58cm
ECTN17 @ 70cm
PST 38/100 Arr @ 51cm
*all failures above and below crusts

Snowpack on windward aspects is considerably shallower @90-125cm (due to last weeks wind).
Several day old small wind slabs (from Thanksgiving HP-apocalypse) observed on leeward aspects at upper elevation.
Evidence of glide crack enlargement observed 12/3 on Marmot, Point 40 (near Microdot), and Martin Mine.

Photos & Video
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Glide Crack and 2-3 day old wind slab, Martin Mine. Photo 12.4.19  

Glide Crack, Point 40 near Microdot. Released @ 12/2.19  

Growing suface hoar with cold conditions. Photo 12.4.19  

Thanksgiving-HPapocalypse WIND ripples on windward aspects. Photo 12.4.19  

Location
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