Bollettino valanghe

Continental

Valdez Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Alta quota
4 · Forte
Limite del bosco
3 · Marcato
Sotto il limite
3 · Marcato
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In sintesi

The avalanche hazard is High at upper elevations and Considerable at middle and lower elevations. Natural avalanches will be likely and human triggered avalanches are very likely. Travel in Avalanche terrain is not recommended.

Avalanche forecasts are issued Wednesday-Sunday at 8 am.   

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Likely
    Dimensione
    1–2

    Rain overnight turned briefly to snow this morning at sea level, and warming this morning should bring the snowline back up to around 2000 ft today. Areas that have fresh snow accumulation and then turn back to rain will see immediate wet loose activity as the new snow becomes saturated with water. 

    Avoid terrain traps and steep slopes at lower elevations where rain is falling on snow.

    (4/18/2026)

    Large Wet loose running down onto Loveland Glacier from Tones Temple ridge. 

    Photo: Joshua McDonald

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Very Likely
    Dimensione
    1–3

    Another wave of precipitation moved through our area last night depositing 4-5” of new snow on Thompson Pass and over a 1' of new snow at upper elevations. Moderate to strong winds from the south will be loading up lee slopes, adding more weight to a snowpack already under stress. Precipitation will continue throughout today and ramp up this evening. Expect the hazard to increase throughout the day. 

    Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended. Stay out and away from runout zones as natural avalanches are likely today.

    (4/21/2026)

    signs of instability on Cracked Ice in deep wind drift

    Photo: Gareth Brown

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Likely
    Dimensione
    2–3

    Multiple weak layers exist throughout our snowpack including weak snow at the ground. These layers are under stress from storm slabs developing at middle and upper elevations and are near their breaking point. When these layers fail they have the potential to create very large dangerous avalanches that run far. Stay out of avalanche terrain and clear of runout zones. Clouds and poor visibility can make it difficult to see what slopes are overhead so check the map and make sure you know where you are. Give the mountains a wide berth today.

    (4/21/2026)

    Persistent slab avalanche triggered by a ski touring party

    Photo: Unknown

Avalanche Discussion

Avalanche activity in the last 72 hours:  

4/21-Persistent slab avalanche triggered in an apron of the Dimond stairway ramps. observation here

4/21-Widely propagating nautral avalanche on the Shovel (Continental Zone) NNW 5500

-Widely propagating natural avalanche on the face of Snow Dome

(4/21/2026)

R5 natural avalanche on Snow Dome

Photo: Gareth Brown

4/18-D3 snowmachine triggered avalanche on the south side of Loveland Basin.  Click this link for the observation

-D2 skier triggered avalanche on Cracked Ice/ NW/5800'/ ~10" deep, 100' wide

-Numerous large wet loose avalanches

Forecast Discussion: 

Winter has returned. Over the past week, snow has been accumulating at middle and upper elevations straining our weak snowpack. Wind drifts as deep as 4ft have been found at upper elevations. With steady precipitation forecasted for the next 48 hours we are expecting a large natural avalanche cycle. This abnormally dry, cold season has left us with a weak faceted snowpack. Warmer temperatures over the past few weeks have begun to heal some of these layers, but we are still left with an abnormally weak setup. The storm impacting our area right now is the biggest load we have received since January. Today through the weekend it will be important to take a big step back and let the mountains adjust to this big change.

Please consider leaving an observation with storm totals and/or any signs of instability or avalanche activity that you encounter to help us paint a clearer picture of this complex and unusual snowpack. 

For more information regarding our snowpack, see our Season summary, Observations, and avalanche activity sections.  

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