Hatcher Pass

The avalanche danger is LOW at all elevations. 

Hatcher Pass received a welcomed 5-7" of snow over the "Beaver Moon" weekend of November 15-17th. 

Small, inconsequential loose dry avalanches will be possible to human trigger in steep, isolated or extreme terrain where last weekend's storm snow has bonded poorly with existing firm and faceted surfaces within the snowpack. Expect warm, above-freezing temperatures, calm winds and another dry spell getting us through the weekend. 

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Interested in submitting an observation? Click here to learn how. Check the observations page for more information on recent snow and avalanche conditions.  

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tuesday, December 3rd – 6:15-8:00 PM @ Backcountry Bike & Ski

This season, we are excited to offer monthly “State of the Snowpack” chats with our field team. Join HPAC forecasters to go over updates to the website, submitting public observations and a review of our season’s history. Free pizza (thanks Erik Christensen @ Valley State Farm) and non-alcoholic beverages will be available, first come first serve. Thanks to Backcountry Bike & Ski for hosting the first of the season. Whether you have never traveled in the backcountry, are a skier, splitboarder, snowmachiner or simply curious, all are welcome. We will have a Q&A driven by you, the public.

The 2024/2025 Season is officially underway.

Our snowpack is 1-2ft deep in most locations. Thanks to a storm on the 15th and 16th that added 5-7" of snow in mid-upper elevations, we now have respectable early-season riding conditions. While it blew in with some moderate-strong gusts, it tapered off calm. Folks who have skied have found some cold, dry surface conditions the last several days.

Since Tuesday (despite strong winds in town at Valley level) the Pass enjoyed mostly light gusting moderate East winds which kept our modest snowpack in place. While you may be able to find and trigger small wind slabs at ridgetop and in steep and extreme terrain, the snowpack is largely loose and faceted following cold, clear, and calm nights.

DRY LOOSE

Last weekend's storm snow and loose, poorly bonded facets are most likely to fail on lingering, widespread frozen October rain crusts at the bottom of the snowpack. With warmer temperatures, we are less likely to see natural and human-triggered dry loose activity, though it may persist on northern aspects and protected terrain where the snowpack is particularly loose all the way to the frozen ground (see below). As the saying goes, "If there’s enough snow to ski or ride, there’s enough snow to slide."  

PERSISTENT SLABS

We have been tracking old, buried wind slabs and crusts throughout the forecast area that have allowed for the formation of facets above or below them (see photos). These are generally less than a foot deep, in isolated and extreme terrain and stubborn to trigger. Despite not getting feedback from riders, we have seen results in test pits (see video below). Do not rule out the possibility as triggering even a shallow persistent slab in a shallow snowpack can have high consequences. 

The bottom of the snowpack at mid and upper elevations is a slowly deteriorating rain crust from our early-season October rain event. While we gather more data on these layers, we can say with moderate confidence that they have deteriorated, are isolated, and unlikely to be sensitive to a trigger. Think of them as our annual Hatcher Pass reminder to pay attention to our poor snowpack structure prior to the next loading event of well-deserved snow that come our way. 

RECENT AVALANCHES

On Sunday November 17th, a single skier-triggered dry loose avalanche was reported on WSW Marmot. This human triggered avalanche started in a steep wind loaded pocket and failed on facets sitting on the basal ice crust. The small slab triggered a loose dry sluff and entrained numerous facets and ran approximately 1000ft. While relatively small, this avalanche involved three parties and crossed the existing skin track. It is a good reminder to assess uptracks, use safe travel protocols for descents and spot your partners. We did observe another small human-triggered dry loose in Rae Wallace. 

Yesterday, a party triggered a harmless small, slow-moving dry loose avalanche on a 40° slope on the north side of 4,068' on November 20 which ran on the same rain crust layer. They commented that "skiing in this location felt like dust on crust conditions, with nice loose powder overlying the icy layer below." Outside of these small dry loose avalanches, we have not seen consequential natural or human triggered avalanches.

Thank you to those who have already submitted information via our new submission platform. Please continue to do so throughout the season. 

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Although coverage is improving, be mindful of early-season hazards such as rocks, bushes and ice at the bottom of the snowpack. 

Ensure beacons do not have corrosion on batteries and battery contacts, replace with new batteries, and test functionality. Ensure your shovel and probe are fully functional.  Now is a great time to practice the basics of companion rescue with beacons. It’s always a good idea to re-familiarize yourself with rescue procedures with your specific gear.

If you have not completed an avalanche course, spaces are extremely limited and resources can be scarce, so contact your local provider and sign up early! Also, if you need financial assistance there are several scholarships available, including through HPAC here. We recommend contacting the AK Avalanche School and the AK Guide Collective to sign up for a course.

HPAC could not exist without the support of our community.  Go HERE to donate.  To learn more about corporate sponsorship please email [email protected]

If you get out in the mountains, please submit observations via our website and tag us at #hpavy. Pray for Snow!