Persistent Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Possible
- Taille
- 2–3
Recent avalanches: There was a widespread avalanche cycle last weekend, with multiple natural and human-triggered avalanches recorded from Anchorage to Seward, and an extensive natural cycle in the Summit Lake zone.
There is still a good chance a person will trigger a large avalanche failing on weak, faceted snow buried 1 to 3' deep. This is the same layer that was responsible for the impressive avalanche cycle last weekend, and is still showing clear warning signs. Yesterday, skiers on Fresno and Summit Peak noted significant rolling collapses traveling hundreds of feet — an unmistakable indicator of unstable snow that we don't always see with these persistent weak layers.
This setup with a stiff slab on top of a persistent weak layer of facets is not the type of problem we usually deal with. Historically, this type of weak layer has been responsible for the majority of fatalities in our forecast area. We've had a week of warm temperatures without any major loading, but the snowpack is still reactive. While it may be slowly gaining strength, for now it's clearly still a major concern. We continue to see large collapses, poor stability test results, and people triggering large avalanches remotely from low-angle terrain connected to steeper slopes. This behavior is consistent from Girdwood to Seward. This is the kind of scenario that catches people by surprise, and is best managed by avoiding traveling on or below steep terrain.
(1/24/2026) Two crowns - ~3000' on a SE aspect of Fresno - from the AR avy cycle. Also note the spatial variability and surface conditions above treeline. Photo: Andy Moderow