Instability on Ramshorn Peak, Easterly Drainages

Toured Ramshorn Peak from the rd. closure in Tom Miner basin. On approach we observed continuous wumpfing and shooting cracks from 7,500' to 9,900'.

A hand shear on a 20° slope with a SE aspect at 7,800' sheared cleanly upon isolation. This hand shear was completed in a rather shallow (~10") snowpack, with large facets below a slab of thicker, fist dense snow. 

Large roller balls were observed in avalanche terrain on a SE aspect at 8,300'. Alongside this observation, rather wet, sticky snow was observed throughout the tour, causing multiple glopping incidents on our skins. 

A second hand shear was preformed on a E. aspect, 20° slope around 8,400', which easily sheared clean with light hand pressure. This snowpack was notably thicker than the previous hand shear location, measured closer to 30" with facets below a 6" slab of fist-dense snow. 

Near our second hand shear, a 2' cornice on at 27° slope created a large shooting crack that propagated across the whole slope (contained by trees). If said cornice and slab was on a steeper slope, we are pretty sure this slab would've slid. 

A several day old avalanche was also spotted on the windward portion of Ramshorn's SW shoulder around 9,800'. Upon further inspection, this slide seemed to be natural and had a crown of ~1.5' with a width of approximately 300'.

Clear evidence of recent wind events (e,g. Thursday's 75mph gusts) were clear on the SE face of Ramshorn, creating several inch thick wind slabs on the face and removing the majority of the snow above from the SW ridge and peak above 10,000'.