Observation: Summit

Location: Tenderfoot

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Toured the up the standard route on Tenderfoot to 3000′ on ridge. The snowpack is much shallower than Turnagain Pass. Good opportunity to check out surface conditions before the next storm.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Observer Comments

Evidence of avalanche activity from the wind event Sunday night but nothing more recent.

Weather & Snow Characteristics
Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.
Weather

Clear
Calm
Chilly high teens to low 20Fs

Snow surface

1200'-2500' 6mm surface hoar and 1-2mm near surface facets
Above treeline wind crust/drifts

Snowpack

Shallow: Feels downright Continental...
1200'-2000' 2-6" of faceting snow with a mf crust at the ground.
2000'-2500' 8-10" of faceting recent snow over 2-4" of faceting older snow and 6 mm buried surface hoar over mf crust at the ground
2500'-3000' wind effected snow drifted in to pillows and stiffer pockets. Mixture of scoured and loaded. All hand pits near ridgeline in wind effected snow had surface hoar below and E-M shears. Snow that is not wind effected is soft and becoming less cohesive with the cold temps.
Quick pit at 2800': W aspect 32 degrees, 1F snow over buried surface hoar 6mm. CT 6 x 2.
There was not enough snow in meadows on approach to ridge. The Southerly aspect above treeline is loaded and has the potential if it harbors the surface hoar that was found near the ridge to be hazardous. The Northerly also looks wind effected and cross loaded with shallow snow with that may also have weak snow underneath.

Photos & Video
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