Sinclair Slides

We headed up Sinclair today to gather some alpine observations and investigate the current windslab problem. At the end of the access trail entering the bowl we were met with natural windslab avalanches, multiple size 2 and a size 2.5. These crown lines were tricky to spot with recent wind deposition filling them back in but with investigation we found them to be 60-100cm thick. In a crown profile we found the failure plane on facets from the recent cold snap being buried by the more recent warm storm snow and sustained SW winds. These conditions have created a more dense slab above the previously cold storm snow and will need some more time to fully bond. Our extended column tests yielded multiple hard results on this layer, as well as moderate compression test results on storm snow interfaces in the upper 20cm. It was -1.5 throughout the day with light SW winds and light snow. Also worth noting that cornices have been growing considerably with our recent conditions.