Route
Tincan
Weather
Temps: mild, mid to high 20s F warming to low 30s
Winds: calm
Precip: none
Sky: gradual clearing with valley fog
Obvious Signs Of Instability
Recent Avalanches-NO
Cracking-yes, max distance 10’ on recently wind loaded pockets along ridge crests
Collapsing-NO
Surface Snow
1,000-2,000’: 2-3” of settled new snow
2,000-2,500’: 3-4” of settled new snow
2,500-3,500’: 5-6” of settled new snow, pockets of wind slab on leeward slopes,
max thickness 12”
Snow Below the Surface
Tests in areas without wind loaded snow produced unremarkable results. In these areas,
there is not enough of a cohesive slab for tests to translate well to slope scale activity.
Testing of wind loaded pockets showed low to moderate strength with high
propagation potential. Due to the “pockety” nature of these newly formed slabs,
very wide propagation across slopes seemed less likely. With a more continuous
slab across a slope that potential goes up. We did not observe slabs exhibiting
this setup on Tincan.
What is continuous is a layer of well developed facets underneath the new snow.
This layer sits on a crust up to 3,200’ and is now well preserved below the
surface. This is the layer of greatest concern for the time being. With loading
coming in smaller increments this layer may have time to adjust to slabs forming
on top of it.
Winds overnight produced pockets of soft wind slab 8-10" thick
Shooting cracks were not common but found right along ridgecrests where winds produced stiffer slabs
The sun came out by mid afternoon and quickly helped to produce very small rollerballs on steep sunlit slopes
Skies cleared by 2pm with valley fog below 2,500'