Avalanche: Girdwood

Location: Raggedtop

Date:
Observer:
Avalanche Details
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Trigger NaturalRemote Trigger Unknown
Avalanche Type UnknownAspect Southwest
Elevation 3500ftSlope Angleunknown
Crown Depth 12inWidth 40ft
Vertical Run 1000ft  
Avalanche Details

1 small avalanche off the southwest aspect of Goat mountain with crown at about 3500'. The avalanche ran about 1000' vertical. The sun was peaking out intermittently and moderate north wind was actively loading the slope.

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

Broken skies with intermittent ridge top views
10°F
Moderate north winds in Alpine elevations

Snow surface

Powder
Ski/Boot pen.: 30cm/50cm

Snowpack

Raggedtop
We dug three testpits all near 2500' on north, east, and south aspects
HS ranged from 135cm to 165cm
January facets were ↓ 80cm and nonreactive while conducting a PST in one testpit and ECT's in all three testpits.
We found a layer of leap day buried surface hoar (2-5mm) ↓25cm in the wind protected south facing testpit, but not in the east or north facing testpits. The leap day BSH was surrounded above and below in Fist hardness decomposing fragments.

Photos & Video
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