Minor sluffing of surface snow
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Sunburst Wx Station
Toured up to Sunburst Wx station (3800′) via Taylor Pass. Observed many parties in the area, riding all aspects. Spotted a recent cornice fall in Hippie Bowl. Did not observe any other recent (post storm activity until receiving a report about the Lipps slide (see separate observation). Wx station anemometer is working again!
Observer Comments
Weather
Clear and sunny
Temps in the mid teens
Light Westerly winds
Snow surface
1000'-1800' Rain crust with few cms of NSF and SH. Rain crust is supportable and gets thinner with elevation gain.
1800'-2000' Surface hoar on a micro melt freeze crust over 10-20 cms soft settled powder that is starting to facet
2000'-3800' Surface hoar over 20-30 cms of settled powder that is starting to facet.
Snowpack
Test slopes, hand pits and uphill/downhill travel showed no signs of instability.
The snowpack is very moist underneath the buried crust in the 1800-2000' zone.
Cold temperatures have increased the crust thickness in the low elevations and has started the faceting process in the surface snow from road to ridge lines.
Small wind slab on Sunburst ridge line
Glide cracks and storm cycle debris in the Library
Surface Hoar on Sunburst
Surface sluffing
Cornice triggered slide from storm observed from Silvertip (Heather Thamm photo)
FullSizeRender-61