| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Hatcher Pass
Location: Skyscraper Ridgeline
AAS Level 2 group toured up to Skyscraper ridgeline to assess the overnight changes in the amount of new snow and the wind re-distribution.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Minor small volume dry loose snow sluffing when skiing down ~35 degree chute.
No other red flags observed.
Weather
Sky overcast most of the day, with short period of clearer weather around 1pm.
Snowing lightly most of the day, approx one inch of accumulation during our tour.
Light east winds at lower elevations, moderate wind at ridgetop.
Temperature ranged in the teens.
Low visibility impacted skiing experience.
Snow surface
Variable.
1-6 inches of new snow on top of hard crust.
Above Hatcher Pass , wind scoured ridge had very little new snow but bare meltfreeze crust making skinning difficult and bootpacking more efficient mode of travel.
In places we found 1-2 inches soft wind slab that broke under our feet.
Snowpack
Snowpack depth varied from 20cm of melfreeze crust to 150cm more loaded snowpack .
We dug formal pits at the 3800' on SW aspect in a windloaded zone. In our tests, we found a layer of concern, facets above meltfreeze crust 30-50cm down from the surface, but overall the layer was unreactive and showed no propagation propensity. New storm snow had an interesting failure plane ~5 cm from top noted on shovel tilt test, but we think it is just density change, as we could not find surface hoar or near surface facets in it.
We wanted to evaluate the existence and distribution of new windslabs, but did not find any on our tour, only some windpacked 4F hardness surface snow.
Shallow new windslab on Skyscraper south ridge approach.