Avalanche forecast

Summit Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
No rating
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The biggest concern in Summit Lake is the chance that a human could trigger a large avalanche in the upper elevations on a layer of buried weak snow. We recommend evaluating the snowpack before committing to steep terrain. Large cornices were built during the holiday storms and there's a good chance a human could trigger a cornice fall today in the upper elevations. We recommend giving cornices a wide margin.

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Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    The information we are getting from Summit is telling us there's still a chance a human could trigger an avalanche on a layer of buried weak snow up to 3' deep. The chances seem to be decreasing, but a surprise avalanche on one of these layers could be large enough to bury a human. You can completely avoid this by sticking to lower angle slopes.

    If you are looking to get into steep terrain, we recommend evaluating snowpack stability, which includes watching and listening for red flags - the sound of a whumpf is the most likely with buried surface hoar. Digging a hand pit or snowpit on a safe slope (less than 30 degrees), in a place where the snowpack is relatively thin, is the best way to get information on these weak layers. An easy break is a sign there's a higher chance a human could trigger an avalanche. 

    Dry Loose: We may be able to trigger some dry loose avalanches today especially in the mid elevations where there is a slick crust from the holiday storms this last week. If enough snow becomes entrained it could knock us off our feet and carry us somewhere we don't want to go, like over a cliff or into some rocks.

    Cornice Fall: The wind and new snow from the holiday storms built some large cornices throughout our forecast areas. Many of these were triggered naturally during the storms, but there are plenty left up there. They could be easy for a human to trigger today and we recommend giving them extra space while traveling the ridgelines. They have a tendency to break back further than expected.

    (12/26/2024)

    Upper elevation snowpit. Adjacent snowpit ~50' closer to the subridge was only 75 cm (2.5') deep.

    Photo: Andrew Schauer

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