Avalanche forecast

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Above 2500', the avalanche danger is MODERATE  for WIND SLAB avalanches. Elsewhere, the hazard is low. 

Hatcher Pass picked up about 3 inches of new snow since yesterday. Light snow and wind are expected to linger throughout the day.

New snow will provide the only hazard today. You could trigger shallow, long-running sluffs in steep terrain, or thicker slides where the wind has built fresh, sensitive drifts. 

Assess for new snow instabilities as you travel, especially on old firm surfaces or where the winds have built fresh drifts. Watch out on steep, committing slopes, and use safe travel protocols. 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Our last and final State of the Snowpack of the season will be Wednesday, March 11th at Palmer Brewing Co, 6pm. Hope to see you there! 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    3 inches of snow fell overnight, and light snow and winds are expected to linger throughout the day. Another 1-3'' is possible. This new snow will present the only hazard today. 

    New snow instabilities will range from loose, long-running sluffs on old firm surfaces, or denser, shallow slabs where the wind has thickened the snow.

    Strong winds preceded the arrival of the storm yesterday, but with very little snow for transport, the wind effect was limited. Since precipitation began, winds have died down significantly, meaning further wind effect is limited. If encountered, wind slabs are likely to be soft, shallow, and isolated. 

    Expect to find pockets of instability on steep, upper elevation slopes, most likely near convex rolls or on the sides of steep gullies. Fresh drifts will likely be thin, and slides will be small, but they could be big enough to knock you off your feet or carry your machine and push you downhill. If snow and wind linger today, expect to encounter this problem in more places. 

    Stiff, hollow-sounding snow or shooting cracks are indicators that you have found unstable snow. Hand shears and pole probing are good tests as you travel to assess for this problem. 

    Winds on Hatch Peak were highest prior to the arrival of snow. 

    Photo: Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

A couple of inches of snow have fallen on old firm surfaces. With this most recent snow, Hatcher Pass has seen about 7 inches in the last 20 days. Periods of wind during that time have sculpted and eroded the landscape. Surfaces are a mix of firm windboard, breakable crusts, sastrugi, and soft, shallow facets. This meager reset will help improve riding conditions.

Temperatures in the last ten days haven't poked much above 0° F, which has helped improve stability and led to some shallow surface faceting. Good turns can be found in protected locations. Locals have been taking advantage of the good stability and opening runs in steep terrain throughout the forecast area. While riding conditions are not always consistent, it has been several weeks since we have seen any notable avalanche activity. 

Today, new snow will be the only hazard, with a dusting of new snow and showers lingering throughout the day. New snow is falling on a variety of surfaces and layers in the snowpack, including: 

  • Firm wind slabs
  • Loose weak snow on sheltered slopes
  • Breakable crusts/wind slab and facet interfaces

It's unlikely this new snow will contribute much to additional avalanche hazard, but small pockets of instability are possible. Approach freshly loaded slopes with caution, travel one at a time, and always carry a transceiver, shovel, and probe. 

Additionally, keep in mind that the snowpack in Hatcher Pass remains relatively shallow with rocks and other hazards such as open holes, mining cables, and exposed willows and bushes. 

Deeper instabilities on weak snow near the ground are still on our radar, but with a stout mid-pack slab bridging these layers, and no avalanches in over a month, the persistent slab problem is, for now, dormant. 

RECENT AVALANCHES:

Outside of some small, isolated pockets and test slopes, we have had no reports or observations of human-triggered avalanches in several weeks. We have not observed a persistent slab avalanche failing on weak snow near the ground since 1/31. See all recent observations here. 

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