Observation: Turnagain

Weather:
Mostly sunny skies, temperatures in the upper teens and a light easterly breeze.

Signs of instability:
Recent avalanches – yes. Collapsing – No. Cracking – No.

4 avalanches were seen in Hippy Bowl on Tincan (photo below). They were 3-4′ deep and between 30-150′ wide. They were reported to have occurred around 12:30pm today (3/15). Details are limited but these may have been remotely triggered from the common up-track.

Otherwise, many 24-48 hour old avalanches seen along the Pass. Photos below.
– Sunburst (3,500′ SW facing), ~3-4′ deep and running 1,200′ into creek below.
– At lest 2 large avalanche in Magnum (3,400/3,600′ SW facing), ~3-4′ deep running into drainage.
– Pete’s North (3,500′ South facing). Also around 3-4′ with wide propagation.

Other older sides with no photos:
– Eddies South facing steep terrain
– Wolverine South slopes
– Kickstep South aspect

Snow surface obs:
3-6″ of low density ‘light’ snow from overnight. Skied very well on top of the right-side-up storm snow layer 80-100cm thick.

Snowpack obs:
Dug two pits in order to check on the weak snow that sits above and below the late February crust and is the suspect weak layer in all the above avalanche activity. Total storm snow (slab depth) is 80-95cm thick and going from pencil to 4F hardness (bottom to top). See photo.

Pit 1 (3,300′ West facing)
PST 20/100 (end) down 80cm (buried surface hoar/weak snow mix over late Feb
crust)

Pit 2 (3,500′ South facing)
ECTN, CT 22 failing 90cm down in mixed forms ‘below’ the late Feb crust