| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst
Ascended Sunburst West ridge to 2300′. VERY active wind transport seen in every direction, at every elevation.
Obvious signs of instability
Weather
Temperature was 37 degrees at the truck at about 15:30. 1-2" of snow fell this morning, but skies quickly cleared off and winds increased rapidly at about 1500. Wind was channeling through the terrain in all kinds of strange ways. At several times snow was blowing north on Magnum while blowing south on Sunburst. Sunburst was pluming alternately on both the north and south side.
Snow surface
1-2" of new snow fell until about noon. Below the new snow there is a 1" melt-freeze crust on northerly aspects, and 3" of melt-freeze grains (not frozen into a crust at the time) on southerly aspects. In the afternoon and evening increasing winds were rapidly transporting any snow available into wind slabs.
Snowpack
The snowpack below ~1500' is moist to the ground. Above ~1500' the snowpack becomes much drier about a foot below the surface, but there is still moist snow / a melt-freeze crust in the upper foot of the snowpack.
We dug one pit at 2300', NW aspect, 26 degree slope. HS=180 cm. CT22 SP down 70 cm on loose 2mm facets sandwiched between a 1F to P+ hard slab and a melt-freeze crust. ECTX, PST 95/100 END.
Active wind transport on Sunburst was taking place continuously in the afternoon and evening.
Waves of snow blowing across Magnum's NW ridge.
Tracks were filling back in and anti-tracks were being aggressively scoured on the uptrack.
Tender wind slabs were forming on leeward features.
Pit at 2300', NW aspect, 26 degree slope. HS=180 cm. CT22 SP down 70 cm on loose 2mm facets sandwiched between a 1F to P+ hard slab and a melt-freeze crust. ECTX, PST 95/100 END.