Persistent Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Likely
- Size
- 1.5–2.5
Recent avalanches: One large natural avalanche was reported on the south side of Tenderfoot on Saturday. There have been at least 13 large to very large human-triggered avalanches in Turnagain Pass since Sunday, January 11th. Many of these were triggered remotely, meaning the avalanche was some distance away from the trigger. No one has been buried or injured as far as we know. The locations and reports of these avalanches are as follows: Repeat Offender on Seattle Ridge, Lynx Creek, Tincan Common, Eddie's Headwall, Main Bowl, and near the weather station on Seattle Ridge.
The same conditions exist in Summit Lake as in Turnagain Pass. Check your rescue gear before you leave the parking lot. Most of the recent avalanches have been triggered in places that are usually safe so these are conditions that can catch us by surprise. It will be important today to avoid being on or underneath steep slopes even if the terrain is flat. This is the type of set up where a slope could avalanche that already has tracks so avoid getting lured in to those slopes. Even small feaures could be a problem, especially if they end in a gully feature where the snow could pile up deep.
Unfortunately, this problem probably won't be going away anytime soon. The weak snow that is causing these dangerous conditions developed over time during the cold December drought and it takes time for it to strengthen.
