Summit & Central Kenai Mtns

There have been no new observed or reported recent avalanches since the last observed glide avalanche in the area on Nov. 22 on Moose Mtn. (also known as the Engine) in Moose Pass. That being said, it has been very hard to look for them due to poor visibility this past week. You can help us out in a big way by sharing an observation if you get out this weekend!

Like most of the surrounding area, the weather in Summit has been action-packed since early November. The Nov 9th storm dumped over 30″ of snow in Summit and was followed by the Thanksgiving rain event that brought the rain to least 3000′. Most recently, the 11/29-30 storm delivered anywhere from 8-12″ of snow, with snow down to the highway and the highest totals in the upper elevations.

We are expecting a small storm arriving Saturday afternoon into Sunday morning, bringing below freezing temps to the pass and a trace of new snow. On Saturday, tremperatures in Summit Pass will range from 15-25F. Light winds from the south are expecting to switch to the east in the afternoon and increase to 20mph. Skies should be partly cloudy with clouds increasing by Saturday night. Temperatures on Sunday will range from 15-25 F. East to northeast should decrease throughout the day fto 10-5mph with decreasing cloud cover through the afternoon.

Between Wednesday and Thursday, the mountains in Summit Lake area received 8-12″ snow with average ridgetop wind speeds of 15-30mph and gusts of 50-60mph, burying the crust that formed during the Thanksgiving storm event. The snow and winds have calmed down for now, but we are expecting easterly winds to increase Saturday night into Sunday morning with ridgetop speeds of 15-30mph. With plenty of soft snow still available for transport, wind slabs could easily be 1-2′ in some places and have the potential to bury a or kill a person. Watch for signs such as stiffer snow over softer snow, and cracks that shoot out from your skis or snowmachine as clear signs of unstable snow. The most common places to find reactive wind slabs can be in cross-loaded gullies, below convexities and near ridgetops. We’ve seen wind slabs failing on a thin layer of facets just above the Thanksgiving crust in some snowpits at higher elevations, which makes the problem a bit more concerning. We’ll be keeping an eye on that interface as a possible persistent problem in the future.

Cornices:  The ridgelines are likely to look a bit different after yesterday’s storm. Watch for overhanging snow and remember these can break further back than expected.

Good indicator of wind transported snow on Fresno last week.

Current snowpack on Tenderfoot, with a stout crust buried about a foot below the surface. 11.30.2023

Although we have limited data from the alpine, we are still concerned about the potential to trigger a large avalanche on weak faceted snow buried at the ground. We’ve seen this layer in Turnagain Pass and cannot rule it out as a concern in Summit until we are able to gather more information. With enough recent snow to trigger a larger avalanche and high uncertainty concerning that deeper weak layer in the higher elevations, the safe bet is to travel cautiously on or below steep slopes or avoid them all together until we can get more info.