Observation: Turnagain

Location: Magnum

Date:

March 17, 2021 6:12pm

Observer:

Johnston-Bloom / Thorndike Forecaster

Route & General Observations

Cornbiscuit skin track through the meadows and then under the northside of Cornbiscuit over to Magnum/PMS Bowl

Red Flags

Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.

Obvious signs of instability

Recent Avalanches?	Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?	No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?	No

Observer Comments

Two small skier triggered slabs on Seattle Ridge - triggered yesterday
Debris pile on Tincan north side that also looked recent. Couldn't see crown but debris was looked to bigger than sluffing? No good spot to take a photo.
Skier triggered sluffing on cornbiscuit, Magnum, Sunburst, Superbowl
No cracking or collapsing observed.

Weather & Snow Characteristics

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

Weather

Sunny and mostly clear at the Pass. Clouds to the north
Mostly calm until around 2 pm(ish) when the north winds (from the south) picked up making things a little chillier and started moving just a little snow.
Single digits starting at the truck then teens in the mid elevation and back to single digits on the ridge. 20°Fs back at the truck in the afternoon

Snow surface

Soft facets 3-6" (10-15cm) on all aspects except due south which had a new sun crust under a few cm of facets.
Minor wind effect on the north side of Magnum

Snowpack

Lots of hand pits. A few spots with a few inches of stiffer snow over the 3.9 facets. Mostly no slab present at all.
Pit @ 3000' south aspect, 25° slope, HS 310cm, pit depth 100 cm, new sun crust 3 cm down, CT13 down 10 cm under slightly wind affected snow, 3.9 facet sun crust combo 30 cm, CT15, CT16, ECTN15 below the crust in .5-1mm facets, 2.9 facets down 45 cm CT 26, ECTX. 1.28 facets 55 cm down CT28.
We dug two pits at this elevation. In the other pit we had CT15, CT5, ECTN15 - 25 cm down in small facets above the crust.
Pit @ 3150' on north aspect. Buried surface hoar and small facets down 25 cm, CT15 ECTN15.

Photos & Video

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