Turnagain Pass and Girdwood

Problemas de aludes

• 

  Persistent Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta montaña
  • Límite del bosque
  • Bajo el límite del bosque

  Probabilidad

  Very Likely

  Tamaño

  2.5–3.5

  Recent avalanches: During the atmospheric river event late last week, we saw a widespread natural avalanche cycle throughout the region. There have also been multiple remotely triggered avalanches reported since the storm ended, with the most notable being a very large avalanche on the Widowmaker path on the back side of Seattle Ridge on Friday. 

  This is the third day since the major storm ended, and we still have the avalanche danger at high because the chances of a very large human-triggered avalanche that could bury a person are high. Our current snowpack setup is incredibly dangerous, with a buried weak layer of facets causing avalanches 2 to 4' deep that can be triggered remotely from low-angle terrain below steeper slopes. These avalanches could easily be triggered on slopes that are typically safe a few days after a storm, like the common runs on the SW face of Sunburst. This type of snowpack setup may allow several tracks on a slope before someone finds the weak spot and triggers an avalanche. 

  This type of persistent slab setup takes time to heal and requires patience to safely manage. The only reliable way to avoid triggering a very large avalanche is to stick to simple terrain. Which means travelling in areas where the slope angle is below 30°, there is no steep terrain above that is connected and could be triggered from below, and avoiding terrain traps like gullies and cliffs where triggering even a small avalanche could have severe consequences. Don't get fooled by the quiet weather—conditions are primed for an avalanche accident.

  

• 

  Wind Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alta montaña
  • Límite del bosque
  • Bajo el límite del bosque

  Probabilidad

  Likely

  Tamaño

  1.5–2.5

  East winds have been steadily moving snow onto leeward slopes for the past few days, forming wind slabs 1 to 2' deep that could be triggered by a person today. You can keep an eye out for hollow feeling pillows of windblown snow or shooting cracks near ridgelines and convex features to help identify wind slabs. Triggering a relatively small wind slab avalanche could initiate a larger avalanche on a buried weak layer.