Lynx Creek

We rode to the head of Lynx Creek to check out current conditions and see how recent wind and rainfall shaped the area and snowpack. Up to about 2,500 ft, we found dust-on-crust conditions, with 4–7 inches of low density snow sitting on a stout, supportable crust. Wind also scoured much of this elevation band, which led to pretty variable surface conditions.

As we gained elevation, the rain crust transitioned into a very thin, breakable crust similar to what we have seen in nearby areas, though we didn’t really notice it while riding. Wind played a major role over the past few days, and between 2,600 and 3,200 ft we ran into many wind-loaded slopes and features. When we found safe places to test these shallow wind slabs with our sleds, we didn’t experience instability. We observed one recent natural avalanche at 3,600 ft that likely released sometime in the past couple of days due to intense wind loading, but we didn’t see other recent activity.

In a snowpit on an east aspect at 2,800 ft, we found a structure similar to other areas in Turnagain, with our December facets buried roughly 3 ft deep. Stability tests indicated this layer is stubborn and it did not produce an unstable result. 

Although wind scoured plenty of terrain, soft snow is still hiding in more sheltered spots. It might take a little hunting, but decent turns are still out there.

We dug a pit on an east-facing slope at 2,800 ft in Lynx Creek, the upper 3 ft of the snowpack remained right-side up, with softer December facets buried beneath. These facets were still 1–2 mm and angular, but stubborn. We observed no signs of instability in any new snow interfaces above the facets or within the December facets, even when jumping on our column after performing an extended column test.