Turnagain Pass and Girdwood

The avalanche danger is LOW which does not mean no danger. There is still the chance of triggering a small wind slab avalanche below ridges, convex rolls, and in gullies. You can reduce these risks by using safe travel practices such as traveling one at a time on steep slopes and adjust your plan if you experience red flags such as shooting cracks and collapsing.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Free Forecaster Chat at the Breeze Inn in Seward, March 5! Grab some food and drink at 6pm on March 5 and join CNFAC forecaster Mik Dalpes to discuss the ‘state of the snowpack’, learn about resources on the CNFAC website, discuss tips for managing persistent slab problems, and bring your hard question for a Q & A.  The Mt. Alice room is located just off the lobby of The Breeze Inn Hotel, located at 303 North Harbor Dr. right off 3rd Ave in Seward.

Recent Avalanches: The last avalanches reported in Turnagain Pass and Girdwood occurred 11 days ago in the Crow Creek area. (details are here and here).

It feels like groundhog day where the last few days feel the same as today. The good news is that snowpack conditions are generally stable at the moment. The weak layer of faceted snow buried 2 to 6’ deep has not been responsible for an avalanche in over a week and a half. Additionally we have not had a significant loading event that would add stress to this layer since early February. The bad news is that the snow surface is not as soft as we would like it to be. The risk of getting caught in a wind slab avalanche is also low but not impossible in steep wind loaded pockets. 

Low danger can sometimes lure people into thinking that there is not much to worry about. The reality is that there is always a chance we can trigger an avalanche in the backcountry. You can reduce this risk by executing safe travel practices such as spacing out, traveling one at a time in steep terrain, and watching your partners from safe spots outside of runout zones.