Avalanche forecast

Lutak

Haines Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
4 · High
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Avoid terrain traps and run out zones. With more than three feet of snow since Dec. 10th any slope greater than 30 degrees has a tremendous new load that could easily slide and bury a person. It takes time for the unconsolidated snowfall to settle and bond. Deep heavy snow hides un-marked obstacles from view and makes everything more challenging, from getting a snowmachine stuck to digging someone out of an avalanche. 

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

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

    The snowpack has grown significantly from Dec. 10-14th when storms dropped 5.5" of snow water equivent (SWE) in the Lutak Zone. Recent field observations verified more than three feet of unconsolidated new snowpack. Freezing levels briefly spiked to 3,100' December 12th and have otherwise hovered around 1,200'. Large wind slabs may have formed on N-NW-W aspects at elevations where enough soft surface snow was available for wind transport and loading. When we combine the recent snow load with the strong southerly winds we have the potential for very large natural and human triggered avalanches.

Avalanche Discussion

Besides immediate instabilities, numerous melt-freeze crusts and small grain facet layers have been idenified across all zones. These remain worthy of future investigation and layer tracking.

Early season hazards continue to exist, except now deep unconsolidated snow has hidden rocks, branches and logs. Use caution.

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