Hatcher Pass
Peligro de aludes
Lo esencial
The avalanche danger remains LOW at all elevations, on all aspects today.
Triggering a small sluff or isolated persistent slab is unlikely, but not impossible.
The major concern remains hitting shallowly buried obstacles in the thin snowpack.
Improved riding conditions can be found in low angle protected terrain.
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Avalanche Discussion
Numerous people have been out in the backcountry since last weekend, riding steep lines, without any reports of recent avalanches. The last reported slab avalanche occurred 12 days ago. Hatcher Pass has not received any new snow since Dec 14/15th. In general, avalanche stability has increased, weak layers are compressing and gaining strength, and propagation potential is decreasing.
It will be possible to human trigger a small dry loose avalanche (sluff) on all aspects 40 degrees and steeper in protected locations. The consequences of triggering even a small sluff may be compounded by numerous rock hazards that unfortunately still exist in our shallow snowpack. We observed two small, inconsequential human triggered dry loose sluffs on steep SW aspects on Wednesday that likely occurred 2-3 days ago. On a positive note, snow surfaces are beginning to soften due to the past day's colder temperatures through the faceting process, but not fast enough. This is the reason the dry loose problem has magically reappeared. It would be great to either get a big dump of fresh snow, or severe clear skies and 20 below Fahrenheit for a week, either would improve and soften the surface conditions, as well as improve our overall happiness. We recommend waiting to bring out the new boards while putting a core shot in your bases remains the biggest hazard.
While the likelihood of triggering an avalanche is very low on the probability scale, it’s important to recognize that we can’t completely ever rule it out. Continue to build good habits, even in this snow and avalanche drought. It's important to travel one at a time, watch your partners from safe spots outside of runout zones, and have an escape route planned if you trigger an avalanche.
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RECENT AVALANCHES
No natural or human triggered avalanches have been reported or observed since 12/21.
Recent observations HERE