Turnagain Pass and Girdwood

Lawinenprobleme

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  Persistent Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Hochgebirge
  • Waldgrenze
  • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze

  Wahrscheinlichkeit

  Possible

  Größe

  1–2

  We still think there might be some pockets of buried surface hoar around 2' deep or more above 2,500' that could be triggered by a human. We didn't hear of anyone finding any of these layers yesterday, which is a good sign, but we can't rule it out yet. This problem can be very tricky to find and assess. You can completely avoid this by steering clear of steep slopes in the upper elevations. 

  If you are looking to get into steep terrain, we recommend evaluating snowpack stability, which includes watching and listening for red flags - the sound of a whumpf is the most likely with buried surface hoar. Digging a hand pit or snowpit on a safe slope (less than 30 degrees), in a place where the snowpack is relatively thin, is the best way to get information on this layer and it's distribution. An easy break means there's a higher chance a human could trigger an avalanche on this layer. We still have some uncertainty about this problem so let us know what you find out there.

  Dry Loose: Riders triggered some dry loose avalanches yesterday on Magnum below 2,800' where there is a slick crust underneath relatively non-cohesive new snow. This is worth keeping in mind as it could surprise us in the mid elevations. If enough snow becomes entrained, it could knock us off our feet and carry us somewhere we don't want to go, like over a cliff or into some rocks.

  Cornice Fall: The wind and new snow from the holiday storms built some large cornices throughout our forecast areas. Many of these were triggered naturally during the storms, but there are plenty left up there. They could be easy for a human to trigger today and we recommend giving them extra space while traveling the ridgelines. They have a tendency to break back further than expected.

  

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  Glide Cracks

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Hochgebirge
  • Waldgrenze
  • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze

  Wahrscheinlichkeit

  Possible

  Größe

  2–3

  After getting a look around with clearing skies, we think the glide activity is slowing down for now. There was one glide avalanche in the Girdwood area, on the west side of Kern, that released during this weeks warm storms (December 23?). There is also a new monster glide crack that is attempting to traverse Todd's Run on Tincan, low in the bowl. 

  The low volume of activity is encouraging, but we are not in the clear. And now, all of the cracks that haven't released are covered in snow, making them more difficult to see. We recommend staying vigilant because there is still some activity, these slides are unpredictable, and the consequences are devastating. Continue to avoid spending time underneath glide cracks if possible.