Quick report
- Collapsing
- Observed
We toured up the Center Ridge trail to an elevation of 2000ft. The skies transitioned from overcast to obscured by the afternoon. Winds were generally calm but interrupted by moderate gusts from the ENE. Precipitation fell throughout the day. At the parking lot, it was rain, but around 1800 ft it changed to a rain/snow mix, and the rate ranged from light to moderate. Temperatures remained above freezing all day (36-38 F). From 1000-1700 ft, the snowpack was super soggy and unsupportive (isothermal). Above 1700ft, there was a more supportive layer underneath the wet surface snow. At 1890ft on a NNW aspect and 17* slope at 1:00pm, we measured a PenFoot of 15cm. We dug down to investigate the persistent slab problem and found the problem layer (the Feb14 SH) buried down 50cm where the total snow measured 210cm. We got a significant result in a CT test (CT18 SC). Notably, we also got a very large collapse from the weight of our group of 4 people when we were all standing together in that area.
Avalanche
Ample evidence of recent widespread wet avalanche activity (wet loose, wet slabs, and glide avalanches). There were wet debris piles in the runouts of multiple paths on the northerly slopes of Sunburst that appeared to be more recent, but it was difficult to pinpoint the timing of when they released.