| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | Yes |
Observation: Girdwood
Location: Ragged Top
Went into East Ragged Bowl. Set out looking for any crusts, new old interfaces, or layers of interest in the Girdwood area. Dug at 1200′, 1700′ and 2260′.
Did not evaluate upper elevations, cannot comment on snowpack above 2300′.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Recent natural soft slab avalanches on the new snow/old snow(yesterday's) interface on some steep North facing terrain. Obvious cracking on steeper terrain features while skinning.
Weather
Broken to overcast to obscure sky
S-1 to S2 throughout the day (very light to moderate precip)
calm to light winds
Mid to Upper 20s
Snow surface
Low density new snow from the road to our high point, increasing consistently as our elevation increased. Storm totaling 5-13". No noticeable wind effect on new snow we evaluated.
Snowpack
Found a small consistent melt-freeze crust on the ground beneath a generally right-side up snowpack from the road to 2300'. No notable pit results in layers we have been tracking in other areas.
Moist 1-1.5mm rounding facets at the ground to 1700', pencil hardness .5mm rounds and melt-freeze at the ground above 2000'.
Pit #1: Lower Ragged Top - 1207' - NE Aspect - HS: 90 cm
STE down 35 cm on new snow old snow interface
Right side up F-1F
Pit #2: Lower Ragged Top - 1693' - NE Aspect - HS: 110 cm
STE down 45 cm on new snow old snow interface
CT1 down 45 cm on new snow old snow interface
CT25 down 110cm on moist crusts and rounding 1-1.5mm facets
ECTP1 down 45 cm on the new snow old snow interface (Resistant Planar)
Pit #3: Lower Ragged Top - 2264' - E Aspect - HS: 120 cm
STE down 35 cm on the new snow old snow interface
CT2 down 35 cm on the new snow old snow interface
Pencil Hardness .5mm rounds on the ground
Natural Avalanches on Ragged Top
Cracking on skin track
Ragged Top Pit #3-2264'
Height of snow from over the last two weeks.
Pit #2