Summit Lake

While dry loose avalanches will be fast and easy to trigger, it is generally unlikely we will see any avalanches big enough to bury a person. However, there may still be isolated, stubborn pockets of unstable snow. Travel one at a time in steep terrain, keep eyes on your partners, and have exit routes planned in case you end up finding one of those unlikely places where unstable snow still lingers.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

TODAY: Join CNFAC for the annual Turnagain Pass Avalanche Awareness Day from 12–4 PM at the motorized lot! In addition to free burgers and hot dogs, you can run rescue drills, chat with forecasters, and demo sleds with AMDS, Anchorage Yamaha/ Polaris. Meet the forecasters and partners from the Alaska Avalanche School, Anchorage Nordic Ski Patrol, and Alaska Search and Rescue Dogs. Come refresh your skills, talk snowpack, and eat a hot dog or three!

After a full week without precipitation and very little wind, it has become unlikely that someone will be able to trigger an avalanche large enough to bury or injure a person. The trace to 2" of snow that we're expecting to receive today and tonight is unlikely to change the avalanche equation. That doesn't mean we're ruling out all avalanches. While conditions are generally stable, there are a few things to keep in mind as you navigate the backcountry:

• Dry Loose Avalanches (sluffs) have been moving fast and quickly entraining a large volume of snow. This should be a consideration if you are traveling in steep terrain. The easiest way to manage this problem is to let your sluff run in front of you before committing to a steep slope. You can also travel across the fall line so you don't get caught as a small avalanche gains speed and volume.
• Wind Slabs that formed during periods of moderate winds may still be lingering on isolated slopes in the alpine. We haven't seen any widespread activity, but this type of avalanche can really never be ruled out. You can assess this problem by looking for relatively stiff snow sitting on top of softer snow.
• The Persistent Weak Layers that exist deeper in the snowpack haven't gone anywhere. However, it is unlikely these will be a major concern until we see another significant loading event. If you do happen to notice large collapses or 'whumpfing', take that as a sign that you've found the unlikely place where this setup could produce an avalanche.

The danger is Low, but there are clearly still some things to watch out for. As always, if you want to avoid all avalanche problems, you can simply stick to low-angle terrain outside of avalanche runout zones.