Snowpack

Lost Lake

Andrew SchauerSeward and Lost Lake
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Observation photo 1Observation photo 2Observation photo 3Observation photo 4

Quick report

Cracking
widespread

We rode Lost Lake and confirmed the same dangerous structure we've found at Summit Lake, Turnagain Pass, and in the Chugach State Park also exists in the Lost Lake area. This is a very weak layer of facets buried about 1.5' deep on average. It is something we will be dealing with for a while, and we're really hoping everyone realizes just how dangerous this is.

10-25' Shooting cracks on multiple slopes as well as the flats. Some of these were hard to notice while riding but were more obvious when we were parked.

Weather

Air Temp
15
Cloud Cover
clear
Wind Loading
previous
Rain Elevation
1800
Recent Snowfall
12"
Snow Avail For Transport
moderate amounts

Clear with a cold northerly wind above treeline.

Snowpack

See attached photos for snowpack specifics.

We found the same dangerous setup near Lost Lake that we've seen in the rest of our advisory area. This is a layer of weak, well-developed facets buried about 1.5' deep. We got very unstable test results on this layer in our pit (ECTPV, ECTP4, ECTP6). The layer was noticeable while riding- you can feel your track spin through the crust and drop out the bottom.  We were surprised that we didn't see any avalanches in the Lost Lake area, but based on what we saw in the snowpit, and the handful of shooting cracks we experienced, this is clearly a problem.

There was about 10-12" new snow on the surface in sheltered terrain, with a thin surface crust that went up to around 1800'. Everything above treeline has once again been hit hard by the wind, and surfaces are quite variable.