Avalanche forecast

Turnagain Pass and Girdwood

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

A northwest outflow wind event is forecast through Thursday. These winds will be creating fresh windslabs 1' deep or more in the upper elevations across our forecast zones. The chances will be higher for a human or machine to trigger one of these avalanches where the wind is stronger. There was an unusually large avalanche in the Girdwood Valley on January 26 during the storm, so that area warrants extra caution for a while. Softer snow can be found in areas protected from the wind.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Motorized Access:  The Forest Service has opened Johnson Pass north trailhead and the Summit area to motorized use. You can see riding area status on the Forest HERE.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Today, winds look like they should be in the 15 to 25 mph range creating the fresh wind slabs described above. Wind slabs are usually found just below ridgelines and in cross loaded gullies like the ones observed by John and Michael yesterday, see photos below. Watch for blowing snow and avoid areas with recently deposited drifts. These drifts will feel like firm snow over softer snow and a shooting crack means the snowpack needs some time to stabilize. In Turnagain Pass these events tend to impact the west (motorized side) of the highway more than the east (non-motorized) side. 

    Recent Avalanches: Yesterday we finally got a clear day to take a look around. There were some large avalanches in the Turnagain Pass area, but they all looked to be new snow avalanches from the storm snow and wind from last weekends monster storm. Girdwood Valley recieved double the amount of water (6"!) than Turnagain Pass during last weekend's storm. As a result, a very large natural avalanche occurred in Ragged Bowl (east of Raggedtop peak) on January 26. Get more information on this unusual event here. Other large avalanches in the Girdwood area from last weekends storm were observed yesterday on Raggedtop, Notch, and Penguin Ridge, see photos below. An observation from Girdwood yesterday points to stabilizing conditions in that area, but a recent avalanche as large as the Ragged Bowl slide warrants some caution. We still don't have much information from the southern end of Turnagain Pass, but the access is improving, so if folks start to poke around down there send us an observation here. 

    Dry Loose Avalanches: Dry loose avalanches were triggered by humans yesterday on steep slopes in Turnagain Pass. As of now these are small, but as the snow dries out through this cold spell they will likely become larger and more difficult to escape.

    Cornice Falls: Cornices are coming in all shapes and sizes at this point. Cornice cracks are also forming in some places, they have been seen in the V-Max (Snug Harbor) area and on Goldpan. These cracks (sometimes very large and deep) form well back from the cornice edge and pose a fall hazard. Cornice falls from the storm last weekend have been observed to have travelled to the valley floor, so give cornices some space and watch that they don't fall down on you from above.  

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