Kachina Peaks Avalanche Center

The cracking and collapsing was just to the north on more ENE slope, about 150m away. Due to collapsing, cracking and PST 35/100 End, we decided not to ski the steep avalanche chute. Note A: Sudden Collapse in facets near buried log.

CT17 Q1 @25cm: Sudden Collapse on Facets around a boulder. Could not reproduce results with a second CT on other half of the boulder.

40°+ starting zones above this pit were mostly boulders and cinders. The area has been wind scoured.

The top layer of mid-February snow was about 10cm thick and we got a score of PST 15/100 SF @94cm with the slab fracture occurring at the same location as the saw, 15cm. We loaded another 20-30cm of snow on top of undisturbed snowpack and let it sinter for 2 hours. We isolated a new PST column. When we performed the new loaded-slab simulation PST, we got the same result PST 15/100 SF. But this time the slab fracture went about 15 cm further back. We kept running the saw up the remaining PST column, and the slab propagated a fracture to the end, PST 10/70 End.

A: Nearby this wind skin was 15cm thick, in some spots it was not present. In pit from the same day (https://snowpilot.org/node/38925) the PF and PS were reported incorrect. They should be reversed, PF:30cm and PS:8cm.

The CT15, Q1 @10cm is an outlier. There was a small 15cm tall shrub at the bottom of the CT column with air pockets and extra facet growth around the woody stems.

Numerous bolder in lower 35 cm of pit.