Observation: Turnagain

Route: Traveled from 1000-3200ft on Tincan

Signs of Instability:
Recent Avalanches: None observed
Cracking: None observed
Collapsing: None Observed

Weather:
Partly cloudy to mostly cloudy with on and off light precipitation
light wind
Temps in the high 20s to low 30s F

Surface Observations:
1000-1800ft: 20cm new snow on crust
1800-3300: 35cm new snow on more dense supportable snow
Isolated wind slabs on W aspects 30-60cm in depth

Snowpack Observations:
We dug three pits at various elevations on W to SW aspects. New snow and isolated wind slabs were not very reactive. Hand shears at lower elevations produced no result, above treeline hand shears were moderate to hard in isolated wind loaded pockets.

Pit 1
1700ft
W aspect
HS=125cm
40cm of increasingly dense (right side up) snow on a thin crust. Below the crust is 50cm of early Jan. snow on another
crust with 2mm basal facets underneath.
ECTX

Pit 2
2300ft
HS=115cm
SW aspect
100cm of increasingly dense (right side up) snow on a crust with 2mm basal facets underneath.
ECTP23* SC at 100cm depth in basal facets
*low density snow at the surface broke apart during the test was completed with 60cm of snow (instead of 100cm) on the
crust/facet combo.

-The 2mm basal facets is the layer of concern and has the potential to propagate if fracture is initiated.

Pit 3
3000ft
HS=130cm
W aspect
Same structure as pit 2
ECTX
CT12 depth= 20cm Q3
CT15 depth= 40cm Q3