Lawinenlagebericht

Maritime

Valdez Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 6 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

The avalanche hazard is Considerable at middle and upper elevations and moderate below 1500ft. The hazard will increase throughout the day with the onset of strong north winds. Human triggered avalanches will be likely 1-3+ ft deep, and natural avalanches may be possible later in the day as winds pick up and add stress to our weak snowpack.

Public avalanche forecasts are issued Wednesday-Sunday at 8 am. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    2–3

    Weak (faceted) snow buried around 2' deep will be under stress as strong north winds pick up and begin to add a load to this weak layer. Today and tomorrow will be a test to see if loading from the forecasted winds will cause this layer to produce more natural avalanches. We do know that this layer produced large natural avalanches 7 days ago when it was put under stress from new snow. Questions remain however whether this layer is at a tipping point again or beginning to gain strength. Because of these unknowns, and the destructive nature of the avalanches this layer is capable of producing, we recommend staying out of avalanche terrain and clear of runout zones of large connected faces.

    Ice Climbers: Choosing routes that minimize overhead hazard is advised as the snowpack above will be getting a significant load by this afternoon from strong winds. Natural avalanches could be a possibility, so check the maps and play it conservatively. The snowpack at low elevations is also very weak.  Minimize exposure to terrain traps and use safe travel procedures when traveling in steep low elevation terrain.

    (2/12/2026)

    Natural persistent slab avalanche on north Catchers Mitt. Crown width mapped at~.8 miles

    Photo: Kyle Sobek

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2

    North East Winds are forecasted to reach up to 70 miles per hour in Valdez by this evening. Strong winds can add stress to a snowpack fast, expect conditions to get more dangerous quickly as the winds pick up today. 

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    2.5–3.5

    A deeply buried weak layer near the ground remains a low-likelihood, high-consequence problem—especially in steep, rocky terrain and areas where the snowpack is thin or highly variable. Triggering this layer directly is unlikely at this time, but avalanches that start in the upper snowpack may step down to the basal weak layer, particularly in the Continental zone.

    Watch for thin spots near rock outcrops, scoured features, convex rollovers, and along ridge tops. Wind loading adds stress to these shallow areas, and we don’t know where the tipping point is.

    (2/13/2026)

    Clueland deep slab (Eastern Tiekel Valley)/ NW 2/13

    Photo: Gareth Brown

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche activity in the last 72 hours: 

Forecast Discussion

Stay conservative and patient out there today, the snowpack is not likely to show signs of local instability, but this does not mean that it is safe. Today and tomorrow will be a test to see where the 1/26 weak layer is in the stress continuum.  Is it at the breaking point again or will it accept the new wind loaded snow? With unknowns like this it is best to wait it out and let the snowpack talk rather than go find out for ourselves. Stick to simple safe terrain while the snowpack undergoes this major change.

For more information regarding our snowpack, see our Season summary, Observations, and avalanche activity sections.   

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