Avalanche forecast

Summit Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

It looks like Christmas will be the last day of our impressive December deep freeze and drought. Human-triggered avalanches remain possible on steep, wind-loaded slopes in the alpine. Travel conditions are challenging, so bring an extra measure of caution if you're heading out for a Christmas tour. Glide avalanche activity has slowed substantially, but continue to minimize time spent underneath visible glide cracks.

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Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!

    If you had snow on your wish list this holiday season, it looks like your wish might just come true this weekend. After a three-week dry spell, the weather forecast is finally calling for new snow starting Friday and continuing through the weekend. The snowfall amounts are nothing to write home about, with 2 to 4" (0.2" water) expected on Friday and up to 4 to 7" (0.45" water) total by Sunday evening, but at this point we will take whatever we can get!

    For today, we are still dealing with wind slabs on top of weak snow as our primary concern. Yesterday's winds were gusty and maxed out at almost 60 mph in Summit Lake, but the average wind speed stayed relatively light. There is a chance of triggering a wind slab about 1' deep at upper elevations, sitting on top of a weak sugary layer. You can look for recently wind-loaded slopes and check for shooting cracks or collapsing on test slopes to help assess how sensitive these wind slabs are. There are deeper weak layers buried in the snowpack, but given the lack of recent snowfall, triggering an avalanche on one of these layers is unlikely. 

    Glide Avalanches: The frequency of glide avalanches has slowed down significantly in the past two weeks. However, these avalanches are unpredictable and very destructive, so we recommend minimizing your time underneath glide cracks as a precaution. 

    (12/24/2025)

    Top Photo: Snow transported over the top of ridges depositing below ridgelines (top loading). 

    Bottom Photo: Snow transported across slopes depositing in gullies. (cross loading).

    Photo: Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center

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