Skies were partly cloudy, with some periods that were pretty flat light, but plenty of sunshine during the day. Winds were light with the occasional northerly breeze. Temps were in the low 20's F. It really felt like the best kind of winter weather you could ask for.
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Seattle Ridge
We rode Seattle Ridge today, heading south along the ridge and down Triangle Bowl towards the Headwall, with a quick poke into Warmup Bowl on our way back. We saw a handful of avalanches that had released during the 11/29-30 storm, but nothing that had released since the snow stopped falling. We dug a pit on a west aspect at about 2800′ and did not see anything concerning in the pit. Main concerns for the day were fresh wind slabs just below the ridgelines. It’s still early in the season so we had an assessment mindset today, but things are really starting to fill in!
Weather
Snow surface
Crusty at road level to almost bottomless in the back bowls. The highest terrain has been hit hard by the winds, but just off the ridge things were surprisingly protected.
Snowpack
We dug in a wind-protected area on a west-facing slope at 2800'. We found 7 feet of snow on the ground, with the Thanksgiving crust buried 4 feet deep. There were no concerning layers in the upper snowpack, and the new snow seems to be bonding well to that Thanksgiving crust for now. That said, crust layers can't really be trusted, and it's something we will be watching closely in the days and weeks to come.
More snowpack info in attached photos.
Crown from an avalanche in Triangle Bowl that released during the 11/29-30 storm. We saw a handful of similar avalanches that had released at some point during the 11/29-30 storm.12.02.2023
Mid-storm crown up on the Seattle Headwall. 12.02.2023
Looking north along Seattle Ridge towards Zero Bowl and Pyramid, with the Turnagain Arm and Girdwood in the background. There were multiple old crowns from the middle of this week's storm in the rocky terrain in the foreground. All of which seem to have only involved new and wind loaded snow. 12.02.2023
Looking south along Seattle Ridge towards Warmup Bowl, with a wind scoured ridge in the bottom of the frame in the foreground and Big Cheif and The Seattle Headwall in the background. 12.02.2023
Snowpit profile. 12.02.2023
Mid-storm avalanche just left of Widowmaker. Photo: Graham Predeger, 12.02.2023