Observation Date: 01/29/2020

Route/Location:
Bass up to Big St Joe then back out SE Bowl

Weather:
Sunny with wind building in the afternoon out of the W

Wind:
Strong winds on St Joe at end of day out of the W

New Snow: 3-6″

Avalanche Activity:
Some old crowns and debris noted but thats about it. We had several collapses on the ridge. The most notable was at 8500ft with shooting cracks spreading to over 100 ft away. We dug a snowpit above the cracks and got propagation, ECTP29 on a SE aspect. We also dug a pit at 6800 ft on a SE aspect and got ECTP26. Both of our pits failed on facets near the ground. We dug both pits in shallower areas, less than 120cm deep. Goes to show that we still have the possibility of triggering a large slide breaking near the ground.

I would expect shallower snowpacks and thin trigger points to be a concern for triggering a persistent weak layer avalanche.

Other Comments:

Observer: Todd Glew