Turnagain Pass and Girdwood

Problèmes avalancheux

• 

  Persistent Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alpin
  • Limite forestière
  • Sous la limite forestière

  Probabilité

  Possible

  Taille

  2–3

  Recent Avalanches: On Saturday, a large avalanche was triggered by a snowmachiner in Warmup Bowl on the backside of Seattle Ridge who was buried and did not survive. On Friday there were 4 human triggered avalanches on the backside of Seattle Ridge.

  Dangerous avalanche conditions exist on slopes where a layer of surface hoar buried 1 to 3’ deep has been responsible for many recent human triggered avalanches. There is a decent chance of triggering a large avalanche if you travel on or below steep slopes. These are not good odds considering that we are seeing high consequence avalanches that have been wide enough to take out entire slopes. People are triggering avalanches above them on relatively flat terrain. Slopes with multiple tracks are being triggered and should not be trusted. People are getting caught in avalanches on slopes where they are not seeing this layer or are getting stable results in snow pits. 

  The truth of the matter is that the snowpack is dangerous and people are still triggering high consequence avalanches. Do not assume that the non motorized side in Turnagain Pass is safer. The same scary layer exists there too. This is not the type of layer you want to gamble on. When the snow is dangerous the safest solution is to stick to low angle terrain and avoid being underneath steep slopes.

• 

  Wind Slabs

  N

  NE

  E

  SE

  S

  SW

  W

  NW

  • Alpin
  • Limite forestière
  • Sous la limite forestière

  Probabilité

  Possible

  Taille

  1–2

  Overnight winds gusting 50+ mph from the east blew snow into fresh winds slabs around 1’ deep or deeper. These will be more likely at upper elevations, below ridges, rollovers and in cross loaded gullies. Look out for blowing snow which is an indicator fresh wind slabs are forming. Clues like shooting cracks or snow that becomes stiff underneath you mean you are likely traveling on a wind slab. Triggering a wind slab has the possiblity of triggering a larger avalanche. 

  Loose snow avalanches may be easy to trigger on steep solar aspects (east, south, west). These will become more likely if the sun has a chance to poke through the clouds and temperatures warm up quickly. These may release from a point and get larger as they carry more snow down the slope or trigger a small slab avalanche. Seek shadier slopes if you find yourself in the sun and see rollerballs releasing. Worst case scenario, one of these avalanches trigger a large avalanche on a buried weak layer. 

  Limit time spent under cornices and giving them a lot of room on ridges. Glide cracks are continuing to open into glide avalanches. These can be large and destructive so try to avoid spending time under them whenever possible.