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Observation: Turnagain
Location: Seattle Ridge, -3 Bowl area
Quick ride up to Seattle Ridge and into -3 Bowl. Flat light turned us around but we got some beacon practice in, along with a couple snow pits while waiting out the low viz on the ridge.
Observer Comments
Weather
Obscured skies, temps in the teens and calm winds.
Snow surface
Small surface hoar on surface, 2-5mm along ridge 2,000-3,000' elevation. Under this was generally 2-3" of small near surface facets, loose snow, fist hard.
Snowpack
1-3' hard slab (Fist hardness on top quickly transitioning to pencil hardness) on the Near Year's buried surface hoar (BSH). We dug two pits close to each other at 3,000' on a NW aspect: Did not investigate further than the BSH layer of concern.
Pit 1 on 35 deg wind loaded slope (HS 220cm): BSH was 3' deep. ECTX, had to stomp on the column to get it to fail, but once it did it propagated then slid easily into pit.
Pit 2 on 25 degree slope (HS 170cm): BSH was 20" deep. ECTP 22 sudden collapse - see video. Hard to trigger but slides easily once it fails.
*We dug in this area on Jan 7th, 2 days ago. ECT tests were very similar with a ECTP 19 and 22 on that day on the same BSH layer.
Pit 1, where slab was 3' thick and we had an ECTX
Avalanche rescue practice while waiting out the VERY flat light!