Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 1–2
Recent Avalanches: Over the weekend, there were many natural and human-triggered avalanches reported following the snowfall last Thursday and Friday. There were several incidents with people caught and carried, and one with a significant injury to a skier on Max's in Girdwood. Several of the avalanches reported were triggered remotely, meaning they were caused by skiers or riders adjacent to the slope that avalanched. Check out the avalanche observations page for full details.
Over the past few weeks, we have enjoyed soft snow and mostly stable avalanche conditions with cold, clear weather. As of this last storm that ended last Friday, things have changed. That clear weather built weak layers of facets that are now causing unstable avalanche conditions throughout the forecast zone. Human-triggered avalanches on weak layers buried 1 to 2' deep remain likely today. Triggering an avalanche remotely, from terrain adjacent to the avalanche path, or triggering an avalanche with no warning signs (red flags) after multiple tracks are already on the slope are common with this type of snowpack setup.
To account for this change in avalanche conditions, we recommend shifting your mindset to avoid the trap that things are safe in the spring. This time of year can feel like a scramble to get the last of the soft snow before winter ends. But many of the past accidents in our forecast area happen in late March, and the current setup is ripe for causing another accident. The best way to manage this risk is to stick to lower-angle terrain, avoid steep overhead terrain where you could remotely trigger an avalanche above you, and avoid terrain traps where even a small avalanche can have major consequences. Patience is key to give the weak layers time to heal.
