Observation: Douglas Island

Location: Troy

Date:
Observer:
Alex Burkhart
Route & General Observations

Took the standard skintrack up Troy from Eaglecrest. We split into two groups to dig pits mid way up the skintrack from the transition meadow.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Observer Comments

Wind, new snow, and rising temperatures

Weather & Snow Characteristics
Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.
Weather

Clouds up top, winds increasing to 15mph later in the day, with varying wind direction. Snowing and maybe 25 degrees at the summit.

Snow surface

~6 inches of soft new snow from this weekend with variable wind affect and ice crust that wasn't very buried on knobs, wind scoured areas, and steeper slopes. Snow density varied greatly depending on amount of wind affect.

Snowpack

The snow seemed generally to be consolidating due do the recent wind and increase in temperature, although we found very soft, unconsolidated snow in wind sheltered areas.

Group 1: ECT N13 15cm down with an irregular interface/fracture between the wind deposited snow on top and softer snow below. Further taps yielded no additional results.
Snow depth: 120cm
Angle: 30
West facing at 2600’

Group 2: Jumped on several test slopes. No action.
Pit:
Mid Troy ~2600' West aspect. Heavy fresh snow.
Angle around 35
Snow depth 75cm
ECT P23 Q2 below the crust. (About 20 cm down big honkin facets)
Also Isolated an ECT just down to the crust. That also propagated just above the crust at 19.

Voluntary stability testers skied some steeper lines up to around 40 degrees. No action either.

Location