The Ramp

Toured up to The Ramp to monitor ongoing snowpack trends in Glen Alps Recreation Area. The landscape was a mix of bare ground and old wind-drifted snow mostly in gullies and high alpine bowls. At lower elevations, the snowpack was rounding from the warmer temperatures and the surface hoar had either been blown away, melted, or capped in wind-sheltered terrain by a trace of new snow. As we rose in elevation- the snow surface continued to be variable- either sastrugi, intermittent surface ice crusts, and pockets of soft fresh snow. The snowpack structure was similar to what we've seen in the rest of the Chugach State Park- predominately a slightly softened firm wind slab with a faceted base. We are in a holding pattern and most likely will not have new snow soon. The likelihood of a human-triggered avalanche in the Chugach State Park is low.