Avalanche forecast

Turnagain Pass and Girdwood

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
4 · High
Below
4 · High
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Highlights

Expect another round of stormy weather to make very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Today's storm will continue to add weight to a fragile snowpack, likely causing large avalanches failing 1 to 3' deep or deeper. Glide avalanche activity is also expected to continue.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–3

    Recent Avalanches: Several large avalanches were seen Friday on Seattle Ridge (Main Bowl, weather station bowl, Jr’s Bowl, and Warm-Up bowl). A skier was caught and carried in an avalanche on Sunburst on the same day, and skiers triggered multiple avalanches in the Tincan Trees (details here and here). 

    Today's storm will once again push the snowpack to its breaking point. It's hard to say if this will be quite as reactive as the last round snow over Thanksgiving, but with at least three layers of buried surface hoar and just two days out from a widespread avalanche cycle, we have no reason to trust the current setup. Large natural and human-triggered avalanches are likely to fail 1 to 3' deep in the snowpack. 

    The snowpack is dangerous and the weather is going to be rugged. This is a good day to avoid traveling in the mountains. If you do get out, be sure to give steep slopes a wide berth and avoid traveling in runout zones below steep terrain.

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Unfortuantely this storm is coming in warm and wet. While we may see up to a foot of snow at elevations above 3,000', most of this precipitation is going to fall as rain up to 2,000' and we may see mixed rain and snow up near 3,000'. Expect to find reactive storm slabs at upper elevations, which will be larger on wind-loaded slopes. We also expect to see wet loose avalanches at elevations below 2,000' where we may see up to 1" of rain by tonight.

    (11/30/2025)

    Predicted snowfall totals from Sunday morning through Monday morning.

    Photo: NWS Anchorage

  • Glide Cracks

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    The ongoing glide avalanche cycle is not showing any signs of slowing down. Today's wet and warm weather is unlikely to help. These avalanches are large and destructive, and they have been releasing over popular routes including the Seattle Ridge uptrack, Sunburst and Magnum to name a few. These are impossible to predict and the only way to manage them is to avoid traveling under open glide cracks. Given the mess of other problems at hand, it will be a good idea to avoid traveling on or under any steep terrain anyway.

    (11/26/2025)

    This glide crack over the Seattle Ridge uptrack partially released yesterday, but there is still a large chunk ready to go at any minute.

    Photo: Andrew Schauer

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