| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Girdwood
Location: Jewel Glacier, Girdwood Valley
Left Crow Pass TH with one partner at 10:30 am, 28F continuing on Crow Pass Trail on the direct mine route towards the stream crossing below Jewel Mountain.
Put skins on with previous tracks at 3,100 ft. and skinned up towards Jewel Glacier on a 3-5cm crust layer with non-condensed/sugar snow at 100-120cm deep up to 4,400 ft.
From 4,400 to Jewel Glacier headwall (5,000 ft), we encountered zero wind, temps ranging from 20-30F, and surface hoar over light, condensed snow.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
-Roller balls on southern facing aspects
-Glide Cracks within elevations of 3,000-3,500 with low snowpack, and Southern aspects
Snow surface
Melt/freeze Crust present from 3,100-4,000 ft
Surface Hoar present from 4,500-5,000 ft.
No new snow accumulation.
Snowpack
Depth: 140 cm
NW Aspect, 4,940 ft,
CT 14 Q2. 20cm from surface (2:45pm)
ECT18 Q2, 20 cm from surface (2:50pm)
No point releases observed on the uptrack and while skiing early in the day. However, from 1-4pm, all Southern aspects were releasing on Jewel Glacier and surrounding ridge lines within the valley. All southern aspects within Jewel Glacier, above the Bergshrund were point releases, with many wet slides and continual roller balls very visible.
Point releases were in a few cases, hundreds of feet which went onto the Glacier from up high. No rock release evident. Many of the slides were big enough to bury a person. D1-D2.
When we approached the col of the Jewel, we observed many SW facing glide cracks in the 3,000 ft range on the Milk Glacier.
CT & ECT
Rollers below Jewel Mountain -3:40pm