| Recent Avalanches? | No |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Magnum
Ascended Bertha Creek drainage to lower meadows below Corn Biscuit to dig on a lower North aspect (1700′.) We broke trail between 1200′ to 1700′ and didn’t experience any collapsing in the lower elevations. Skinned across Bertha Cr to PMS bowl on Magnum SW aspect and followed pre-exiting skin track to 2700′. NE winds started blowing snow in valley bottoms around 12pm. Cracking was observed in top 1″ of surface snow.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Blowing snow and isolated cracking in surface snow.
Weather
Temperatures were in the high 20F's near the road and cooler as we ascended. Sustained 10-15mph NE winds at 2700' by 1:30pm. Snowing 1cm/hour.
Snow surface
Total of 3" of new snow covered the skin track on top of 15-24" of older settled snow.
Snowpack
See pit diagrams for details.
At 1700' on a N aspect the HS=107cm, slope was 39*. We did not find any buried surface hoar in this particular location. There was 18" of settled new snow from last week sitting on a variable wind crust. On one side of the pit the old wind slab was 3" thick and on the other side it wasn't there at all.
At 2700' on a SW aspect the HS= 141cm, slope was 38*. We found a wind slab layer with small facets that was only reactive in Compression tests (CT7.) There was a uniform layer (10cm thick) of Fist hard facets (3mm) sitting above a melt/freeze crust on the ground. It only required moderate force to to fail in compression tests (CT12) but didn't not propagate with an Extended Column test. However once the weak layer was initiated in a propagation saw test it failed easily to the end with some energy. PST35/100 End.
Lower North shoulder of Corn Biscuit at 1700'
SW aspect of Magnum at 2700'
Uniform layer of well developed facets (3mm and Fist hard) on top of a melt/freeze crust near the ground.
blowing snow was causing some cracking in surface snow
The lower meadow of Corn Biscuit still have a fair bit of alder to navigate.
Good coverage in lower elevations with a view of Corn Biscuit before we lost visibility.