Continental

The avalanche hazard is Low at all elevations.  Human triggered avalanches are possible in small pockets less than 1 foot in depth in isolated areas or in extreme terrain.  Normal safe travel protocols are recommended.

Avalanche Forecasts are issued Wednesday-Sunday at 8am

Observed Avalanche Activity last 72 hours: 

2- D1.5 skier triggerred avalanches observed in steep wind loaded terrain just East of School Bus.  Date unknown

Cornice fall was observed in the Elephant Basin on a west aspect that pulled out a narrow full depth pocket in extreme terrain.  Date unknown

Forecast Discussion:

The snowpack is stable in most areas in all three forecast zones.  Small human triggered avalanches less than 1 foot in depth are possible in isolated areas or in extreme terrain.  Wind loaded snow will be the most likely reason that instability may exist, although most wind slabs are found to be old and unreactive where they have been observed.  

Low avalanche hazard does not mean no hazard.  The sun is beginning to have a cummulative effect on dry snow that is clinging to sunny rocks that is above a lot of our steep north facing ramps.  Light shedding was observed yesterday off sunny rocks that still involved dry snow.  At some point this snow will be affected by the sun and become wet and have a greater affect on slopes below when shedding occurs.  It is unknown at what point this switch from dry to wet loose debris will occur, but it is certainly worth keeping an eye on today if travelling in steep consequential terrain that has exposure to sunny rocks above.   Avoiding cornices is recommended, this is the time of year when they begin to fall down and can cause avalanches even on a stable snowpack.

Practicing safe travel protocols such as: knowing your safe spots, grouping up well out of the way of avalanche runout zones, good communication, only exposing one person on an avalanche prone slope at a time, and avoiding overhead exposure to cornices are all important practices, even when the snowpack is stable.

Multiple layers of surface hoar have been observed at and near the surface recently.  These have the potential to become a weak layer in our upper snowpack once buried.

Additional Information:

Watch out for cornices. A couple of cornice falls have been observed in the Continental region.

Observations from steep upper elevations of the far northern end of the Continental zone are limited.  These areas typically harbor a weaker snowpack, however this has not been confirmed.

A weather and snowpack season history is available by clicking on the Season Summary tab which is located below the bottom line statement once you have entered the full forecast.

Season Snowfall Data

Location 24 hour Snowfall Inches- 3/15 24 hour Snow Water Equivalent Inches Height of Snow March Snowfall Inches Season Total Snowfall Valdez    0    0    44     6 N/O     Thompson Pass    0    0   N/O     6    ~500 Nicks    0    0    143    5 N/O 46 Mile    0     0   22    4 N/O