Chugach State Park

Recent Avalanches: A skier reported triggering multiple small but reactive wind slab avalanches on Mt. Gordon Lyon on Tuesday, March 19th. These were roughly 10′ wide and up to 10″ deep.

Weather Recap: We received 2-4″ snow over last weekend and early this week. Winds picked up during the stormy weather over the weekend, and then calmed for most of the week. The wind returned Thursday afternoon, and has been blowing 15 to 20 mph with gusts of 25 to 40 mph out of the southeast. Temperatures warmed through the week, with highs getting up to the low 30s to low 40s F, and low temperatures in the upper teens to low 20s F.

Weather Forecast: A large low pressure system out to the west will bring active weather our way this weekend, but unfortuately that is going to mostly mean more wind for Chugach State Park. Southeast winds have already begun picking up as of Friday afternoon, and are expected to increase to 30 to 50 mph during the day Saturday, and 40 to 60 mph on Sunday. We might see a trace to an inch of new snow over the weekend with partly to mostly cloudy skies. High temperatures are expected to be in the low to mid 30s F, with lows in the mid 20s to low 30s F.

We’re expecting another wind event this weekend, and our main avanche concern will be fresh wind slabs forming as the weather picks up. The size of these avalanches will be limited by the amount of soft snow on the ground available to build fresh wind slabs, but with sustained winds of 40-60 mph likely through the weekend, we are expecting to be able to find reactive slabs up to a foot deep. These will be more likely at upper elevations, and they may be forming further downslope than normal given the high speeds we are expecting. Winds this strong will likely form very stiff slabs, which may allow a person to get way out onto a slab before triggering an avalanche. Look out for the most dangerous conditions in steep terrain below ridgelines, convex rolls, and steep gullies. Pay attention to clear indications of unstable snow like shooting cracks or collapsing, and be aware of the potential for avalanches to release naturally in steep terrain above you.

Wet Loose Avalanches may be possible if the sun comes out later this weekend, and will become more likely through next week once the wind dies down and the snow surface is able to heat up a little more. Watch out for signs of deteriorating stability on southerly slopes if the sun starts poking out. This usually starts as roller balls initiating near rocks or trees where the snow heats up the fastest. If you start to notice the southerly slopes heating up, you can stay out of harm’s way by moving to shaded terrain.

Small skier-triggered wind slab avalanche on Mt. Gordon Lyon earlier this week. 03.19.2024

We are still paying attention to multiple layers of weak snow buried deeper in the snowpack. This includes a layer of weak, faceted snow buried 1-2′ deep and a weak layer of facets at the bottom of the snowpack. Although we are still able to identify these weak layers in snow pits (details from Peak 4 and The Wedge), we have not seen any avalanches failing deeper in the snowpack for several weeks. It is unlikely a person will trigger an avalanche on one of these layers this weekend, but it is still something we are monitoring so we don’t get caught off guard.