Lawinenlagebericht

Summit Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
Keine Stufe
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Kernpunkte

With 2' of new snow arriving within the last 48 hours, which fell on weak surfaces, dangerous avalanche conditions exist today. There are good chances a human could trigger an avalanche 2 to 3' deep above 2,000'. With the sensitivity that the snowpack was demonstrating yesterday, avalanches may be triggered remotely (from a distance or from below). This warrants caution when approaching slopes above 30 degrees. 

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Lower 48 Avalanche Accidents:  It has been a tragic couple weeks in the lower 48 with six avalanche fatalities in Idaho, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming. These mark the first US fatal accidents for the season. Our thoughts are with our friends to the south and our deepest condolences to all those affected by these events.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Conditions are dangerous and touchy despite a break between storms. LOTS of red flags were observed yesterday including many recent avalanches, shooting cracks, and whumpfing. The recent avalanches were large and one looks to have failed at the ground on Colorado indicating there are several dangerous weak layers in this snowpack including weak snow at the ground in the upper elevations.

    These are clear signs that the snowpack needs more time to adjust. We are within the 48 hour window when most avalanches occur after a storm. The chance of triggering an avalanche is going to go up as we climb in elevation because there is a thick crust on the surface down low that begins to thin around 2,000'. Stepping off the skin track or tip toeing on a test slope may be all we need to do to get a scary red flag like a whumpf or small avalanche. Check out this observation for a sense of how touchy conditions were yesterday on Fresno.

    The reason conditions are so touchy after this storm is because the snowpack is upside down with 2 to 3' of wet heavy snow sitting on weak snow that developed during the period of calm weather (near surface facets and surface hoar). All of this is resting on a crust in the mid elevations. This is a bad set up and it is likely to stick around for a while. 

     

  • Storm Slabs

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

    There could be places where persistent weak layers do not exist or are less troublesome. In these areas there are still good chances of triggering a large avalanche within the 2 to 3' of new storm snow and windblown snow above 2,000'. 

    Wind slab: With wind speeds of over 100 mph during this storm there are areas where the slabs could be 4' deep or more in the upper elevations. These are places to avoid for now.

    Cornice Fall: Large cornices are looming on the ridgelines. They may not fail naturally with a break in weather, but if they fall they could trigger a large slab avalanche that could travel well into the treeline elevation band. Give them space on the ridge and watch for them above.

     

    (1/7/2025)

    Large avalanche on Butch Mtn. 

    Photo: Daniel Krueger

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