Hatcher Pass

THE BOTTOM LINE:

Hatcher Pass has an overall thin, shallow, and loose snowpack to start 2026. The only rideable terrain is at upper elevations, where extreme winds built stiff slabs in December. 

The avalanche danger is LOW above 2500'. There is insufficient snowpack below 2,500' for a hazard rating. 

While triggering an avalanche today remains unlikely, you could still find a small pocket of unstable snow in previously wind-loaded gullies or faces where firm snow overlays weak, sugary snow. Because these areas are in steep and extreme terrain, even a small avalanche could have higher consequences. 

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

HPAC Winter Raffle tickets are now on sale! Tickets are $40 each or $100 for a 3-pack, and winners will be drawn on March 2. Enter for a chance to win:

•  Two Alaska Airlines roundtrip tickets, “anywhere we fly”
• A guided heli ski day with Chugach Powder Guides
• New skis from Alaska Mountaineering & Hiking
• A two-night stay at Hatcher Pass Lodge

Single ticket link here. 3-pack ticket link here.

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Join us for our next State of the Snowpack chat on Wednesday, January 14th, at the Blue and Gold Boardshop in Wasilla. We will be excited to debrief the December drought and dive into shifting trends and the outlook as Hatcher Pass receives its first snow of 2026. Skeetawk will also be there to discuss their Management Plan for the area. 

Thin, old, weak, broken. There are many adjectives to describe the current snowpack at Hatcher Pass. December came and went, and we received 7'' of snow and 10 days of intense winds. Current snowpack measured at the IM Snotel is a meager 14'' deep. Since October, Hatcher Pass has received just over 2 feet of snow, an incredibly slow start to an area not unfamiliar with thin snowpacks. During that time, temperatures have been generally cold, and our thin snowpack is now a shallow faceted sandbox, punctuated by dense or breakable slabs formed by periods of intense winds. 

GENERAL CONDITIONS:

On upper elevation slopes, thin ribbons of windblown snow snake through patches of rocks, scrub, and scoured grass. Areas of snow cover are a mix of sugary facets, breakable crusts, dense windslabs, and firm, icy bed surfaces. Many hazards and obstacles beyond avalanches exist this weekend; they are:

• Bitterly cold temperatures and the potential for frostbite.
• Challenging travel on punchy snow.
• Shallow and exposed rocks.
• Firm bed surfaces and slide for life conditions.

PERSISTENT SLABS:

Last weekend, extreme winds deposited variable slabs up to 12'' deep on isolated terrain features around the compass at upper elevations. These slabs were formed on a variety of surfaces, including several types of faceted snow and persistent weak layers. This week, forecasters found these slabs to still be reactive to human triggers. While these slabs are small and you're generally unlikely to encounter this problem, with the thin cover, even a small slide could take you off for feet and drag you through rocky terrain.

 As has been the case for the last two months, the only places where there is enough snow to ride are where you are more likely to encounter these instabilities in the snowpack. 

• Look for smooth lenses and firm or breakable slabs over weak sugary snow.
• Small pockets could break above you and push you into rocks and over cliffs.
• Slabs are irregular and isolated, but potentially on many different aspects throughout the forecast area.

Recent Avalanches:

On Wednesday December 31st, forecasters triggered a couple of small wind-loaded pockets mid-slope in Eldorado Bowl. Read the full observation here. A number of small, natural wind slab avalanches (D1) have been observed throughout IM Bowl as a result of the most recent (12/28-29) rounds of wind. On Sunday, Dec. 28th, Forecasters in the field intentionally triggered several small (D1) wind slab avalanches on Marmot. See all recent observations here.