Bulletin d’avalanche

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Sat
Alpin
3 · Marqué
Limite forestière
2 · Modéré
Sous la limite
1 · Faible
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 6 months ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Above 3500', the avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE  for  WIND SLAB avalanches. PERSISTENT SLAB avalanches remain a concern in upper elevations where the snowpack is weak and shallow.  Elsewhere, the hazard is low.

Today, strong northerly winds will continue to transport recent snow, increasing the avalanche hazard at upper elevations. 

Watch out for drifting and blowing snow, and avoid steep, loaded slopes where the snowpack appears smooth, feels hollow, or shows signs of cracking. 

Special Announcements

Tickets are still available for our winter raffle! Round-trip fare with Alaska Air, new skis from AMH, and a day of heli-skiing with CPG are all on the table, and your odds are good! More info here.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Likely
    Taille
    1–2

    Southwest flow brought Hatcher Pass a weak refresh of new snow earlier this week. In the wake of this system, a northerly flow is in place, bringing strong ridgeline winds that are transporting snow and creating fresh drifts at upper elevations. Overnight, winds on Hatch ramped up, peaking at midnight with sustained speed in the mid 20's and gusts into the low 50's from the northwest. 

    Winds will continue to be strong throughout the day, increasing the depth, distribution, and sensitivity of fresh wind slabs, along with the likelihood of triggering a slide. 

    You're most likely to encounter instabilities on mid and upper-elevation slopes lee to the NE through NW. Look for loading under ridgelines on convex rolls, or on the sides of steep gullies.  Watch for active loading, rounded or pillowy surfaces, hollow-sounding snow, and cracking and collapsing in the upper snowpack. Wind slabs could start out soft and shallow, but increase in depth, density, and sensitivity as wind loading continues. 

    Yesterday, wind slabs were observed to be shallow and unreactive. While they're generally forming on an older crust that is helping keep sensitivity to a minimum, expect today's winds to continue to make deeper and larger slabs, possibly increasing the sensitivity as well. 

    24 hr gusts on Hatch Peak

    Photo: Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Unlikely
    Taille
    1–2

    Weak snow near the ground remains a concern throughout the forecast area.

    Despite several weeks without an avalanche on these layers, snowpit tests continue to yield propagating results, and skiers continue to encounter collapsing. This information points to the increasingly unlikely possibility for a skier or rider to trigger an avalanche on weak snow near the ground. 

    • This problem is most pronounced on steep, open, rocky, upper-elevation slopes where the snowpack remains thin and shallow.
    • Mid-elevation terrain harboring old weak snow on the ground could produce the same problem. Steep gullies are where you'd find it. 
    • Small natural or human-triggered avalanches could accumulate weight and step down into these deeper weak layers, increasing the size and consequence of smaller avalanches. 

    The easiest way to manage this problem is to select terrain with a steepness of less than about 30 degrees. If you do choose to get into avalanche terrain (slopes steeper than 30 degrees), select slopes with a uniformly deep snow pack greater than about 3' deep—although be aware that you could trigger a slide from the edges or the middle of a slope where the snowpack is shallow and variable. 

    (2/4/2026)

    A persistent slab avalanche in Eldorado Bowl from 1/28

    Photo: Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

Wednesday's storm lacked the energy to make it up the hill, and as such, Palmer and the Valley received more snow than Hatcher Pass.  About 3'' of snow fell on a variety of surfaces, including stiff wind crusts and a fairly widespread rain crust that formed on Sunday, 02/15. Yesterday, winds began to scallop slopes, erode ridgelines, and build fresh slabs of wind-stiffened snow. While wind effect was evident, new slabs were largely unreactive. As strong winds continue today, they will increase the depth, density, and sensitivity of new slabs, making it easier to trigger avalanches in wind-loaded terrain. Expect slabs to increase in depth, size, and distribution as you climb in elevation and as winds continue throughout the day. At lower elevations and on steep, sheltered slopes, it could be possible to encounter small dry-loose avalanches or sluffs.

Despite several weeks without a larger avalanche failing on weak snow near the ground, snowpack tests continue to yield propagating results, and skiers have reported collapsing in thin snowpack areas, indicating that it remains possible to trigger an avalanche on weak snow near the ground. This problem is most likely to be encountered in upper elevation terrain on open slopes where the snowpack remains thin and rocky. This is a high-consequence, low-probability scenario, where the likelihood is falling, but the results would be catastrophic. While areas of deeper snowpack offer more protection, it could be possible to trigger an avalanche from a thinner area on the slope near the edge of the slab. 

It's just now finally feeling like ski season at Hatcher Pass, with improved coverage and conditions allowing for greater travel throughout the forecast area. Slopes are gaining snow, and starting zones are becoming more connected. As you get out and start to explore, be ready to encounter shallow instabilities in the upper snowpack and be on the lookout for weak snow near the ground that could produce larger avalanches. 

RECENT AVALANCHES: 

No avalanches have been observed or reported since last Friday, 2/13. Thursday, 2/12, a party triggered a D1.5 soft slab on the southwest aspect of Marmot at about 4,300'. On Friday, a skier triggered a similar slide on a similar aspect on Marmot. Last week, forecasters observed several dry, loose avalanches in steep, craggy terrain and small wind slabs on steep, wind-loaded slopes. These were all small D1s that likely ran naturally during a bump in winds on 2/10-11. We have not observed a persistent slab avalanche failing on weak snow near the ground since 1/31. See all recent observations here.

Régions couvertes