| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observation: Turnagain
Location: Tincan Trees
We toured up to treeline on Tincan to take a look as the next round of stormy weather approaches. It was snowing and blowing for most of the day, and we triggered two small avalanches on steep slopes that were actively being wind loaded.
Obvious signs of instability
Observer Comments
We triggered two small avalanches on short but steep test slopes near treeline on the south side of Tincan. The were 6-10" deep and 10-25' wide.
Weather
Light but steady snowfall all day, with around 2-3" on the truck that fell between 10:30 and 3:30. Winds were strong out of the east. Clouds barely broke up to let some light through just before sunset.
Snow surface
Plenty of soft snow on the surface. It remaind untouched by winds below around 2000', and was getting blown into soft slabs between 2000' and our high point at 2200'.
Snowpack
We dug one pit on a southeast aspect at 2200'. This was on a slope that had a very thin (~2" thick) soft wind slab on the surface. Total depth was only 4 feet in this pit, which seems on the thinner side for the area in general. We did not get any alarming stability test results, but the layer of faceting snow above the Thanksgiving crust was easy to identify in the pit wall, and facets are becoming more developed when we look at them under a lens. It is not clear how much of a load it will take to push this layer to its breaking point.
See photos for more detailed snowpit info.
Stormy weather for most of the day made for great skiing, and the people were out to enjoy it. 12.09.2023
Snapshot of the snowpit on a southeast aspect around 2200'. 12.09.2023
Soaking in the views with Adam. Photo: Matti Silta, 12.09.2023
It's looking mighty wintry out there! It will be exciting to see how things look after this next storm. 12.09.2023
Snowpit details. 12.09.2023