Hatcher Pass

Good stability and a slow drip of light snow have conditions in prime shape. 

The avalanche hazard is LOW throughout the forecast area. 

Loose-dry sluffs in steep terrain will be the most likely instability encountered.

If you can find good light the skiing is some of the best of the season. 

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Are you a motorized user? Join us March 17th at Eagle River Polaris at 6PM for a Forecaster Chat/State of the Snowpack with HPAC avalanche forecasters. 

A slow drip of light snow has accumulated about 5'' of snow at Independence Mine since midweek. Showers will taper today with another 1-2'' of accumulation possible. Winds have remained light and temperatures have been on the cool side. Some sunny days earlier in the week placed a crust on steep solar aspects but overall, skiing and riding conditions are some of the best they've been all season. Supportable travel, soft turns, and no deeper instabilities to be concerned with are rewarding locals with some great skiing. Although the days are getting longer and the sun is getting stronger, the cloud cover is still producing some pretty flat light, so the biggest challenge will continue to be finding good visibility amongst the snow showers. 

LOOSE DRY:  New snow fell on a variety of surfaces including slick sun crusts, firm wind board, and loose facets. Regardless of the old surface, you'll be most likely to trigger a loose sluff in steep terrain, that is on slopes generally steeper than about 40°. As the snow continues to stack up be mindful of your terrain choices and sluff management, this problem is manageable but also capable of carrying you into unintended obstacles. 

LOOSE WET: Temperatures look to remain cool and cloud cover could remain intact, limiting warming and wet activity today. That said, any breaks in clouds or periods of sun could easily warm the snow surface on solar aspects and initiate some wet loose sluffing. This will likely be more of a problem with some better clearing expected on Monday. This problem is similar to dry loose and will be more likely on steep slopes. but as the snow is warmed it will become thicker and more difficult to manage. Be mindful of your sluffs and watch out for steep terrain overhead during warming periods.

PERSISTENT SLABS: Over the last week several parties have observed shallow slabs formed by a period of stronger winds earlier this month. Both natural and human-triggered activity was reported and all of the slabs observed were generally thin, mid-slope, and on North and East facing slopes above 3500'. If you're heading into upper-elevation terrain be on the lookout for stiff or punchy snow and have a plan if a pocket pops out on you. 

RECENT AVALANCHES

Most recent observations here.