Detailed Observation

Date2021-03-28
LocationHaines
ObserverJeff Moskowitz
AvalancheN

General Observations

Transitional Zone: 2500’/E-Aspect/Clear/Moderate W-NW wind/22F. Visible wind transport above treeline that formed soft and reactive wind slab on lee-ward slopes. These fresh wind slabs were over a pencil hard crust. Below treeline supportable crust with 1-2″ of surface snow. The sun felt warm and helped soften lower elevation slopes. For late March, we are still transitioning from a winter-to-spring snowpack, no evidence of a serious melt-freeze cycle yet. Probably a good indicator that persistent layers are still out there. As snow crystals go through melt-freeze metamorphosis, inspect significant hardness difference (2-steps) between layer interfaces and identify small vs. course grains. Those types of structures could still produce avalanches that would be amplified by very warm temperatures, strong solar radiation and rain on snow events. Spotted from the highway, D2 wet loose slides on south aspects of the Takshanuks below 1500′, a few looked like deeper releases and entrained plenty of snow.

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Observed Avalanche Activity