Lawinenlagebericht

Summit Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
Open full map
Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 2 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

The snowfall from today's storm is expected to largely miss Summit Lake. The main concern is fresh wind slabs 6-12" deep from the 20 to 30 mph southeast winds that will pick up this afternoon. The fresh wind slabs could cause natural avalanches or possibly be triggered by a person. Larger avalanches on buried weak layers are unlikely today but we recommend a conservative approach to high elevation start zones that are being actively loaded by wind transported snow. 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Happy Valentine's Day! It's not too late to get your tickets for SnowBall 2025 - TODAY! The Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center and the Alaska Avalanche School are hosting the annual Snowball to celebrate another great winter season! There will be a silent auction, hors d’oeuvres, and live music from Wiley Post. All funds raised will benefit snow and avalanche safety in Alaska. Join us for a great night! 

Click here for more information.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Southeast winds averaging 20 to 30 mph are expected to pick up today as a storm system enters the area. Most of the snowfall looks like it will miss Summit Lake, so the main issue will be fresh wind slabs 6-12" deep at upper elevations. Even though the snow surface is already wind affected at upper elevations, strong winds can always find more snow to transport onto leeward slopes. To identify areas with wind slabs look for active wind loading, shooting cracks, and use small test slopes to check on the size and sensitivity of wind slabs before entering steeper terrain. 

    Glide avalanches and glide cracks have been observed across the region in the past two weeks. These are unpredictable and can cause very large and destructive avalanches, so we recommend avoiding spending time underneath open glide cracks. 

    Cornices have also grown very large at this point in the season and can fail naturally during periods of active wind loading. Try to avoid traveling underneath cornices while they are being loaded and give them a wide berth when traveling along ridgelines. 

    Wind-scoured to tundra on the ridge with wind loaded gullies on either side.

    Photo: Caleigh Warner

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

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

    The relatively thin snowpack in Summit Lake is still harboring weak layers that could cause larger avalanches. Since it has been over two weeks since the last significant snowfall and the storm today is expected to largely miss Summit Lake, we think the chances of triggering an avalanche on a buried weak layer are very low. However, there was a recent observation of a collapse on Raven's Ridge and we are still seeing weak snowpack structure in our snowpits. These are good reminders to adopt a conservative approach to terrain selection in Summit Lake, especially on higher elevation start zones that are being actively loaded with wind transported snow. 

Abgedeckte Regionen