Avalanche forecast

Summit Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The current snowpack setup is dangerous and will take time to heal. There is still a good chance of triggering a large avalanche on buried weak layers 1 to 3' deep.  To enjoy the new snow coming today while staying safe, we recommend sticking to simple, low-angle terrain and avoiding steep slopes overhead. The weak layer we are currently dealing with has produced many remotely triggered avalanches, which means you can trigger an avalanche from low-angle slopes onto adjacent steeper terrain. 

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS: Support this avalanche forecast with Pick.Click.Give. today! Please consider participating in the Pick.Click.Give program as you apply for your Alaska PFD this year. Your contribution to the Friends of the Chugach Avalanche Center helps to fund 50% of our annual operating budget. This covers weather station maintenance, safety equipment, forecaster salaries, research projects, and ensures professional, daily avalanche advisories all winter long for your favorite backcountry ski and snowmachine zones on the Chugach National Forest and Chugach State Park. THANK YOU!

 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Recent avalanches: There was a widespread avalanche cycle from January 14th to 16th in the Summit Lake zone. Since then, there have been tons of collapses reported from the Summit Lake area, but no new avalanches. 

    Avalanche conditions remain exceptionally dangerous in the Summit Lake zone. Reports of huge collapses (whumphing), travelling 50 to 100' and knocking snow off trees are still coming in with almost every observation we receive from this area. While the surrounding forecast zones with deeper snowpacks are starting to see less obvious signs of an unstable snowpack, the Summit Lake area is the exception. These collapses are telling us a clear story - the snowpack is unstable, so to stay safe, we need to avoid steep slopes and terrain connected to overhead avalanche paths. 

    (1/24/2026)

    Snow pit at 2500' on Fresno near the large collapse location. 

    Photo: Aleph Johnston-Bloom

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