Avalanche forecast

Summit Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Wet snow avalanches are our biggest concern today. These can be large and could run to valley bottoms. We are also unsure if the recent snow and rain will make it easy to trigger an avalanche one foot deep or more on a layer of buried surface hoar. This will be easier to trigger where wind slabs exist. Lingering wind slabs up to 1' deep will also be a concern on wind loaded slopes. 

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Avalanche problems

  • Wet Slabs

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

    Yesterday's storm brought a few inches of snow to Summit Lake, far less than Turnagain Pass. That being said we have been seeing wet avalanche activity over the past week. Rain and warm temperatures are allowing liquid water to move into the snow where it tends to run along and melt weak layers resulting in large wet avalanches.

    Wet avalanches including wet slab, wet loose and glide avalanches. These could be on any aspect and release naturally running to valley bottoms. If the sun comes out solar slopes may heat up increasing the likelihood of triggering wet loose avalanches. They may be larger and run further than expected. Conditions are generally safer when we have below freezing temperatures which we have not. The safest option is to avoid traveling on or below steep slopes including avalanche run outs where these large wet avalanches have been occuring.

    Storm totals below are from 12 AM Friday morning through 6 am this morning:

    • Portage: 10.5" Snow Water Equivalent (SWE), equaling 6 to 8' snow above treeline. 
    • Girdwood: 4.8" SWE equaling 2 to 3.5' snow. 
    • Turnagain Pass: 2.9" SWE equaling 12-24" snow.
    • Summit Lake: 0.6" SWE equaling 3-6" snow.
    • Seward/Lost Lake: 2.5" SWE equaling 16-24" snow

    (3/31/2025)

    Recent glide avalanche on the east side of Summit Mountain and north winds blowing snow off the ridgeline.

    Photo: Mik Dalpes

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    The storms have been adding stress to the 2/14 surface hoar layer that is now buried around one foot deep. On wind loaded slopes it may be deeper. This has been an extremely difficult layer to assess that has been responsible for many human triggered avalanches in Turnagain Pass and could easily become a big problem in Summit Lake. Whumpfing sounds, collapsing and shooting cracks underneath you are all clues telling you the slope is unstable and capable of sliding. The point is we are not sure how much stress this layer can take before we start seeing more avalanches on this layer which is why the safest option is to avoid traveling on or below steep slopes. 

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Lingering wind slabs up to a foot deep will be more likely on steep slopes below ridgelines, convex rolls, and in gullies. Look out for stiff snow and shooting cracks underneath you. Keep in mind that if you are on a steep slope and trigger a wind slab there is the potential to trigger a deeper avalanche described in problem 1. 

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