Lawinenlagebericht

Douglas Island

Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sun
Hochgebirge
1 · Gering
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

Hazard is low for all elevations of Douglas Island. We are well into the spring thaw and the snowpack has seen a lot of warmth and rain. While hazard is low and the risk of skier triggered avalanches is reduced, the snow is heavy, gloppy, sticky, and is producing large, slow moving, wet loose debris piles on slopes with any pitch to them. Be aware of slow churning wet loose sluff as you descend, and be especially wary of terrain traps. Cornices have also been collapsing and should be given a wide berth.

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Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    Wet loose avalanches often start small but can grow large as they entrain snow. Wet loose avalanches are especially hazardous in steep exposed terrain and above terrain traps such as cliffs and gulleys. Signs of wet loose activity include wet saturated surface snow that feels unconsolidated, pinwheels and rollerballs on slopes, and snow shedding off rocks and trees due to solar heating. 

  • Cornices

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2.5

    Cornices are unpredictable and can fail without warning. Cornice failures can put a significant load on the slopes below them which can often trigger large avalanches.  When traveling on ridgelines, cornices often fail much further back from their edges than expected. Cornices should be given a wide berth when traveling on corniced ridges and time spent under cornices should be minimized. This month there have been many observed cornice failiures triggering  larger avlanches. 

  • Wet Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2.5

    Wet slab avalanches occur when water penetrates the snowpack and causes a failure at a buried weak layer or interface. Solar radiation, which produces meltwater that percolates through the snowpack, can trigger wet slab avalanches, along with rain on snow events. Wet slabs are generally more destructive and more difficult to manage than wet loose avalanches; they can break widely and without clear warning signs.

Avalanche Discussion

It has been a warm and wet week, with consistently elevated freezing levels. The primary concern is wet loose avalanches, as well as the potential for cornice failure triggering deeper and more destructive slabs. Wet slab avalanches are also possible, particularly if initiated by wet loose activity or cornice fall. Both Douglas Island and the mainland have seen numerous recent examples of this activity over the past couple of weeks. Snow conditions on Douglas have been wet, slushy, and sticky. A transition to more stable and predictable spring conditions will depend on the return of consistent melt-freeze cycles, with overnight temperatures dropping below freezing. Once that occurs, we can expect more supportable corn snow. 

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