Persistent Slabs
- Alpin
- Limite forestière
- Sous la limite forestière
- Probabilité
- Likely
- Taille
- 1.5–2.5
Recent avalanches: There have been multiple observations of remotely triggered avalanches in the Turnagain Pass zone, including Repeat Offender, Lynx Creek, Tincan Common, Eddie's Headwall, Main Bowl, and near the weather station on Seattle Ridge. In Summit Lake, there have been reports of widespread large collapses, and one observation of a natural avalanche on Tenderfoot from Saturday that was about 100 to 150' wide.
The dangerous snowpack setup that caused all these recent avalanches in Turangain Pass also exists in the Summit Lake area. There is still a good chance of triggering a very large avalanche 1 to 3' deep on a layer of facets that formed during the December cold spell. The size of these avalanches and the fact that many of them are being triggered remotely, from low-angle terrain adjacent to steeper slopes, make them extra scary. With this setup, accidentally triggering an avalanche from low-angle terrain below a steep slope and being buried in the runout zone is a very real hazard.
The only way to safely manage this situation is to stay off steep slopes, avoid runout zones of overhead avalanche paths, and be very mindful of terrain traps that could cause a deep burial even from a small avalanche. Patience is very important with this type of persistent weak layer, because they often take weeks or longer to become less dangerous. The major storm we are expecting on Thursday could stress the snowpack to the point where we see widespread natural avalanches and potentially help reset the snowpack. We will have to wait and see, but in the meantime, we can't stress enough how dangerous this setup is.
(1/8/2026) Avalanche debris in a slide path on Summit Peak
