None observed today.
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst
Sunburst parking lot. Common uptrack to 3400′.
Observer Comments
Weather
Broken skies with pockets of blue sky. Temps in the low 20's at ridgetop. Winds from the NE in the 10-15mph range, gusting to mid-20's.
Snow surface
1000'-1800' Supportable rain crust with surface hoar and near surface facets
1800'-2200' Surface hoar on 4-6" of settled powder over thin, breakable crust.
2200'-3400' 6-8" of loose, faceting powder.
Surface hoar from 1K up to ridgetops, decreasing in size as you go up in elevation. Note: SH was sitting on loose, faceted snow above ~1500.
Snowpack
Found a layer of melt-layer re-crystalization in a thin band at lower elevations (~1500-1800'). Cold air at the surface combines with a (relatively) warm surface crust to create extreme temperature gradients in the top few centimeters of snow. This extreme temp gradient creates a thin layer of faceted snow just below the surface and above the crust. See video for an example of how this could act as a dangerous weak layer in a future loading event.
Pit at 3400'
N Aspect. HS= 130cm
ECTN. With considerable prying I was able to get a column to fracture 70cm down on 1-2mm facets.
Generally the snowpack was right side up.
Note: Totally different snowpack structure than what Wendy and I found in Groundhog Creek yesterday (Johnson Pass area) at a similar elevation.
The Library, as seen from Sunburst ridge is littered with Glide cracks large and small.
Snowpit on N aspect at 3400' did not reveal any noteworthy results.
Winds were starting to pick up on the Sunburst ridge. Plenty of snow available for transport (wind slab formation) in the upper elevations.
Snow surface quality is quite good right now in the alpine!
Seattle ridge glides as seen from Sunburst.