| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Tincan
Skinned up standard route to 2400′ to look at how much new snow has fallen over the last few days. We also hoped to assess the snowpack above 3000′ on a North aspect to look for buried surface hoar and facets from earlier in April. Unfortunately visibility decreased significantly as we ascended due to blowing snow and turnaround just above treeline.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
Recent natural storm slabs and dry loose sluffs. Two recent glide avalanches - one on SE aspect of Seattle and the other on SW aspect of Eddies.
Weather
25-30F - becoming cooler with elevation
Broken skies becoming obscured
NE winds 10-20mph at 2400'
Light snow (S-1) becoming heavy (S2) ~2" new today
Snow surface
1000' - 3" new snow on wet snow
2000' - 5" new snow breakable 1" melt-freeze crust
2400' - 2-10" wind drifted snow
Snowpack
Pit at 2400' -NW aspect, 28* slope, HS=185cm
10cm of low density new snow on the surface. The top 55cm of snow was right side up and sitting on a 1F hard 3cm melt-freeze crust. This MF crust was sitting on 1cm of rounds on top of P hard melt forms/melt-freeze(moist) from the big March storm cycle. Compression tests failed unevenly on varying layers within the top 35cm, all Q3. Shovel sheers tests were similar, but had clean sheer between the two melt/freeze layers on 1cm rounds. No persistent week layer were found. ECTX
Recent natural storm slab avalanche on W face of Magnum
Recent dry-loose avalanche on W face of Magnum
Recent dry-loose avalanches on N aspects of Lipps
Evidence of recent debris in Todd's Bowl thats been covered up by recent snow over the last few days
Glide avalanche on SE aspect of Seattle Ridge (on far Northern end of Pass)
Pit at 2400' on NW aspect of Tincan.
Handpit at 1900' - the top 6" failed on isolation under a 2cm m/f crust.
Snowfall increased dramatically by 2pm and made travel difficult above treeline.
Thanks for a great winter. Safe travels this spring! Photo by Greg von Doersten
Recent glide avalanche on Eddies SW aspect
Recent Storm slab on CRR on Tincan SW aspect