| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst
Standard route up Sunburst, decided not to investigate skier triggered avalanches due to sunshine, rising temperatures and hangfire. Observed two natural slabs while skinning up on Seattle Ridge and lots of wet loose activity throughout the day. Received at report of large natural slab avalanche on Skookum that occurred around 5 pm and checked that out from the highway on the way back.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Natural wet loose avalanches and slabs observed during the day
Weather
Partly cloudy with sunshine becoming more overcast later in the day trapping in the heat!
Easterly winds 5-15 mph
Temperatures in the mid 20Fs to low 30Fs at upper elevations and high 30Fs to 40Fs at road level
No precip
Snow surface
2" of new snow becoming wet on southerly slopes in the afternoon.
Southerlys had a suncrust underneath the new snow from sun yesterday
Snowpack
2-3' of new snow over hard wind affected snow or settled snow over buried weak layers... Jan 21 buried surface hoar/facets at upper elevations or the mid January facet/crust combo at mid elevations. Did some probing along the route snowpack depths varied from 50 cm to 3 meters.
Dug 3 pits:
Pit # 1 @ 2100' (see photo)
Pit # 2 @ 2800', quick pit in shallow spot HS: 70 cm, new snow over 30 cm melt freeze crust to the ground. No results in CTs
Pit # 3 @ 3100" (see photo)
Sunburst skier triggered avalanches
Closer view of the deeper Sunburst crown
Pit # 1 2100'
Pit #2 3100'
Natural slab on Seattle Ridge
Closer look at the crown on Seattle Ridge. It looks like it stepped down to lower layers and to the ground in a few spots up high
Another natural slab on Seattle Ridge
Seattle Ridge uptrack
Wet loose avalanches on Tincan Proper
Skookum Natural