Avalanche forecast

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE for WET SLAB avalanches above 2500', below that the danger is MODERATE.

Dangerous avalanche conditions exist and remote triggering large avalanches is likely.

 Old weak snow and newer dry snow have been overloaded and soaked by wet snow and rain, and the snowpack is unstable and unpredictable. 

Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended, and large avalanches could travel into low-elevation terrain. 

Avoid steep slopes above 30 degrees, and stay out of gullies and terrain traps where debris could come down from above. 

Special Announcements:

The Fishhook Road remains closed while the DOT clears avalanche debris from the roadway and assesses the hazard. Look for any updates on Alaska 511

We have been providing these extra advisories throughout this period of elevated hazard in the interest of public safety. The Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center is a non-agency, non-profit organization, meaning we do not receive financial support from the state or federal government. We will soon need to cease operations for the season. If you value this local public avalanche information, consider a donation this spring. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–3

    Almost 4 feet of snow and rain has fallen in the last 10 days, with a cumulative water weight of over 6''. During this time, winds were strong to extreme out of the southeast and southwest, loading northerly terrain. Our weak, stale snowpack from March was overloaded and soaked with an incredible amount of snow and water, creating dangerous and unstable conditions. Recent snow is wetted and wind loaded, and triggering 1-6' deep unmanageable avalanches on all aspects in mid and upper elevations is likely. 

    This problem could manifest in a number of ways, but it will likely behave the same. Drier wind slabs at upper elevations will be thick and heavy, and wet-loose activity is possible at lower elevations or on solar slopes during any period of direct sun. Remote triggering avalanches is possible, and getting caught in any avalanche is likely to be unsurvivable. Persistent weak grains in the snowpack could result in delayed or remote triggered avalanches. 

    The best way to manage this problem is to stay out of avalanche terrain. Travel will be difficult and visibility limited. Triggering a small slide will be hard to escape, and could entrain an enormous amount of new and old snow. 

    The weak persistent grains that made up the majority of our snowpack are now melting and have free water percolating through them, which means instabilities are not expected to resolve until this water is removed or frozen. Give this new snow some time to adjust, and remember most avalanches happen within 24-48 hours of a storm. 

Avalanche Discussion

Recent Avalanches:

Numerous natural avalanches have occurred over the last 48 to 72 hours. On Monday, an avalanche on Archangel Face released and ran right to the edge of the Archangel Trail. An avalanche in Marmot Gully likely released late Wednesday night and covered Fishhook Road in about 20 ft of debris around 150 ft wide. Yesterday, forecasters and the DOT observed numerous large-to-very-large natural avalanches in the Valley of Sin and through Independence Mine Bowl, with impressive activity along Skyscraper and Eldorado Bench, and several avalanches reaching the creek. Yesterday, a party of ski tourers ascended the Mint Knob and entered Delia Creek, potentially triggering several large avalanches on their way along the ridge. Most slides we observed had broken several hundred feet wide, 1 to 4 feet deep, run 1500 to 2000 ft and left debris 6 to 20 ft deep. See all recent observations here.

Regions covered