Tincan

Went for a tour up Tincan to get a better idea of the distribution of the Valentines Day buried surface hoar that has been producing avalanches in the area. We enjoyed some wet and warm weather through the day with light rain falling up to 1900' where it transitioned to light snowfall. We found the buried surface hoar present in every pit up to 2700' but was not found in one pit at 3000' at our high point. In our pit at 2100' instability tests produced unstable results (CT11 SC, ECTP21, PST33/100 END) in the surface hoar buried under a 1.5' slab. During our tour we observed winds transporting snow at ridgetops and observed light-moderate winds above treeline. Skiing was best higher up as below 2000' the snow was saturated and sticky. 

Two small collapses felt between 1500' to 2100'. No recent avalanches observed, yet visibility was heavily limited.

Up to 1900' the top 6" to 8" of snow was wet and melting. Above 1900' the snow began to slightly dry out but stayed moist to 3000' with a thin surface crust softening in the afternoon. 

We dug several hand pits and full pits throughout our tour to try and track the distribution of the Valentines Day buried surface hoar. Up to 2100' the surface hoar was found buried under a 1" thick crust and 6" to 8" of wet snow; at these elevations it was found to be upright and up to 1" in size. 

In a pit at 2100' near a test slope release that occurred yesterday (3/2) the surface hoar was found buried 1-1.5ft under moist snow. Here the buried surface hoar was up to 0.5" in size. Instability tests produced unstable results on the buried surface hoar layer (CT11 SC, ECTP21, PST33/100 END 45cm down). 

In a pit at 2700' on a west aspect we found the surface hoar buried 2' under the snow that has accumulated over the past week. Here the buried surface hoar was smaller in size (2-4mm) and did not produce any results in instability tests. 

At 3000' on a southwest aspect we did not find the buried surface hoar in our pit and had no instability test results.