| Trigger | Natural | Remote Trigger | Unknown |
| Avalanche Type | Unknown | Aspect | Southwest |
| Elevation | 3600ft | Slope Angle | unknown |
| Crown Depth | unknown | Width | unknown |
| Vertical Run | unknown |
Avalanche: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst
Toured up to 3800′ on Sunburst.
Avalanche Details
We saw a partially filled in avalanche on the SW face of Sunburst at about 3600'. This looked like it released naturally during the storm, likely on Thursday.
Weather
Skies were partly cloudy with light winds and temperatures in the 20s
Snow surface
Below 1000' there was an ice crust within the upper 6" of the snowpack. Above 1000' there was about 1.5' to 2' of new snow from the past few days.
Snowpack
At 2300' we dug a pit and found a mostly right side up snowpack with no significant results in our stability tests. Total snow depth was 130cm. There was a 2" (5cm) thick melt freeze crust about 30" (70cm) down from the surface. There was a layer of softer snow above the crust, but we did not have any snowpit results on this layer. Something to keep track of for the future.
At 3400' we dug another pit and found a similar, largely right side up snowpack. Total snow depth was 160 cm. The melt freeze crust was only about 0.5" (1-2cm) thick at this elevation and buried 30" (70cm) deep. We also found a layer of moist facets on the ground. The basal facets did not seem concerning in this location, but in an area with a thinner snowpack it might be a more concerning weak layer at higher elevations. We had no propagating snow pit tests or concerning results in this location.
Snowpack structure at 3400'
Storm interface layer came off when pried with a shovel.
Nice light and snow conditions in Turnagain.
Avalanche at 3600' that likely released during the storm yesterday.
Alders are being nicely buried above 1000' at Turnagain.