Avalanche: Turnagain

Location: Tincan Alpine and Trees

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Toured up standard uptrack to the TC Common basin. Skied the basin, CFR, and north trees.

Avalanche Details
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Trigger SkierRemote Trigger0
Avalanche Type Soft SlabAspect West
Elevation 2600ftSlope Angleunknown
Crown DepthunknownWidthunknown
Vertical Rununknown  
Avalanche Details

Late in the day we noticed a skier triggered avalanche on Jerome's Dome that had just occured a few minutes before. Skier looked like he had ski cut the steep face off of the dome and either he or his dogs triggered the slide. It looked like the skier was carried but not buried and may have lost a ski or pole that he and his partner were looking for. Crown estimated from a distance was 12"-16" deep, 50' across and ran about 300'. Bed surface looked like it was the pre-storm crust.

Red Flags
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Obvious signs of instability
Recent Avalanches?Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?Yes
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?Yes
Observer Comments

We did not have any signs of instability in the trees but did encounter collapsing just above treeline and in the alpine on the final ridge up to top of common bowl.Most of these appeared to be local and when crossing pillows.
On the way out had two shooting cracks appear as I skied over a roll-over.

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

Scattered clouds in the AM turning sunny about 13:00. Clouds came back about 16:00.
Winds were calm to light all day.
Temps in low 20's in the AM and into low 30's by late afternoon.

Snow surface

1000' -2300' about 10" - 14" of new dense powder
Above treeline: 10" - 18" of new dense powder with a little wind affect
By the end of the day southern aspects were getting crusty.

Snowpack

Did numerous hand pits up the mountain. In the trees we didn't get any noteworthy results. Above treeline most of the hand pits had the new snow breaking just above or below a pre-storm crust and associated facets above and below. Most were poor quality but a couple on the ridge were pretty easy breaks above and below the crust.

Photos & Video
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