Quick report
- Cracking
- specific
- Collapsing
- isolated
We toured up the drainage between Magnum and Cornbiscuit to a high point of 2600’. While touring up to alder line we observed several large collapses, some propagating as far as 50ft. We suspect this was failing on the weak layer sandwiched between two melt-freeze crusts. We also observed shooting cracks on steeper slopes failing just above the crust in the soft new snow. The crusts transitioned around 2400’ to a thin brittle crust, with soft weak snow beneath it. At our high point ~2600’ we performed an ECT and did not find propagation (ECTN18 failing beneath the brittle crust). We skied small pitches one at a time, and avoided exposure time while travelling under larger paths.
Avalanche
Observed several old crowns on the N aspect of Cornbiscuit, failed mid-slope near the rocks. Appear to have failed during the last storm as the bed surface had some dusting. While skiing members of our party were able to trigger small ~1ft slabs on steep unsupported terrain features.