Quick report
- Cracking
- isolated
During a Tacoma Mountain Rescue Patrol on MRNP we dug a pit on an east facing aspect and tried to use the same angle of terrain as Pano Peak's face- due to not wanting to dig a test pit on that popular skiing location. The top 6-8" snow shows many signs from previous warming and overnight freezing. This layer sits on top of two weakened layers, separated by a dry loose snow layer. When a section was cut to conduct a pressure test, the top hard packed layer collapsed within 3 hand hits, but did not break away. However, during the elbow hits after 3 hits the section collapsed away from the rest of the snow at the first weakened layer. In the morning, the snow pack was firm, however, as we were skinning through the area from Deadhorse Creek to Glacier Vista, you could feel the upper layer collapsing onto the weaker layer below, with the occasional whump, but no real movement. As the day progressed and warmed it triggered many natural avalanches on steep west-facing slopes. We expected the snow pack to build with moisture and potentially trigger wet slab avalanches, however, what we started to notice was that the upper layer was settling/compressing down onto the weaker lower layers.
Avalanche
Lots of natural falls and some major rock fall on side of Nisqually glacier due to avalanche activity caused by warming weather.