Bollettino valanghe

Seward and Lost Lake

Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Wed
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
2 · Moderato
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In sintesi

Chances for loose wet avalanches will increase as slopes heat up through the day. There is also a lingering chance that a person could trigger a larger avalanche failing on weak snow buried 1 to 2' deep. You can manage the wet snow problem by moving to shaded terrain in the afternoon, but be aware that this is where you are more likely to find those buried weak layers. 

WEDNESDAY AVALANCHE OUTLOOK: A weak system will move through the area tomorrow, bringing a trace to an inch of snow with rain up to 500 to 700'. This is unlikely to elevate the avalanche danger, but it may increase the chances of loose wet avalanches at lower elevations. We will issue our next avalanche forecast on Thursday.

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SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Forecast Operations: Beginning this week, we will be transitioning to our late season forecasting schedule, issuing forecasts Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday. Our last forecast will be Thursday, April 30th followed by our annual "Spring Tips" on May 1st. 

Hiking on trails below avalanche paths this time of year is dangerous and not recommended.  Avalanches may release into valley bottoms, covering up summer hiking trails. This includes the Marathon Jeep Trail, which is a terrain trap for most of the hike. Other trails in this area that can be dangerous right now include the Russian Lakes trail to the Barber Cabin, Crescent Lake, Ptarmigan Lake, and Victor Creek Trail. 

 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Loose Wet

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

    Recent Avalanches: Last Monday (4/6) there was a human-triggered avalanche on Resurrection Peak outside of Seward. The person was briefly caught and managed to escape the debris which ran almost 4,000’ to the valley bottom. 

    Today will be the warmest sunny day we've seen this spring, and we're expecting to see Loose Wet avalanche activity pick up as snow surfaces melt through the day. While the size of these avalanches is uncertain, it will be important to pay close attention to changing conditions on solar aspects. We will likely see roller balls and pinwheels starting to roll down sunny slopes midday, especially on slopes with rocks or trees, and below cornices. As surfaces continue to warm and weaken, we will likely see loose wet avalanches later in the afternoon. These will likely happen naturally, and can also be triggered by a person. Pay close attention to overhead terrain, especially sunny slopes in the afternoon.

    This problem can easily be managed by moving to shaded terrain as the solar aspects start to fall apart. If you are looking for dry snow later in the day, be aware that there are also buried weak layers lurking below the surface, which may be more likely on shaded aspects (more on this in Problem 2). 

     Cornice Fall: We may begin to see cornices failing naturally in the heat of the day. These can be large enough to be a hazard on their own, and they also have the potential to trigger larger avalanches as they tumble downslope. Limit spending time below large cornices, and give them plenty of space if you are traveling along ridgetops.

    There is a smaller chance of larger Wet Slab avalanches, especially on steep south-facing slopes with a thinner snowpack. These may fail at or near the ground, and the likelihood will increase through the day.

    (4/12/2026)

    Wet snow avalanches on a steep southerly slope on Lowell Peak. This slope is often one of the first to produce wet avalanches in the spring.

    Photo: Mik Dalpes

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    There are multiple layers of weak, faceted snow buried in the upper 2' of the snowpack. We saw a handful of natural and human-triggered avalanches fail on these weak layers during and immediately after last week's storms, and they remain a concern today. Most of the avalanches we've seen so far have been 1 to 2' deep, 50 to 100' wide, and have run anywhere from 50 to 500 vertical feet. These weak layers are becoming more stubborn as we move further out from the last loading event, but it is still an issue we are keeping on our radar.

    This type of problem gives misleading feedback, often showing mixed results in snowpit tests and sometimes showing zero warning signs even when conditions are dangerous. If you are getting into steep terrain, the best way to mitigate the risk of an avalanche like this is to take a close look at the snowpack in the area you are traveling in, and to avoid slopes with terrain traps like cliffs, rocks, trees, or gullies in the runout zone in case you get caught by surprise.

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