Turnagain Pass

A skier triggered a wind slab avalanche in the Library yesterday. The slide took out a portion of the existing skin track while a second group was ascending, but luckily nobody was caught in the avalanche. See report HERE.

Skier-triggered wind slab avalanche in the Library yesterday, 01.26.2021. Photo from anonymous observer.

We will have one more day of relatively quiet weather before the next round of precipitation moves in later tonight, and the avalanche conditions have not changed much over the past few days. There is still a possibility of triggering wind slab avalanches in steep, wind-exposed terrain. Increasing cloud cover may make larger objectives a bit more challenging today, but if you are planning on moving into bigger terrain, it will be important to identify and avoid wind-loaded slopes. Watch for visual clues of recent wind loading, like stiffer snow at the surface, smooth pillows of wind-drifted snow, or various wind-textured surfaces. Avoid steep terrain if you notice any clear indicators of instability such as shooting cracks, collapsing, or recent avalanche activity. The most likely places to find unstable snow will be just below ridgelines, or on convexities or cross-loaded gullies in alpine areas. This could be in areas like upper elevations on the skier side of the pass, the Seattle Ridge back bowls, or at higher elevations in the Girdwood valley.

Stay tuned for the forecast over the next few days– it is looking like we are headed back into an active weather pattern towards the end of the week.

Cornices: If you are traveling along ridgelines, be sure to keep plenty of distance from the edge of the large cornices that have developed throughout the area. These things have a nasty tendency to break much further back than one would expect, and they are ready to fail under the weight of a snowmachine or a skier. It is also important to minimize time spent traveling below cornices, as there is a chance they could fail naturally.

Sluffs: There has been plenty of dry loose activity as folks have been accessing steeper terrain during these past few days of clear weather. We expect more of the same today on steep slopes. While it is unlikely a sluff would bury a person, they are getting plenty big enough to have serious consequences if they carry you over cliffs, rocks, or through trees.

Large cornices above Hippy Bowl, with chunks breaking off recently. Photo: Eric Roberts. 01.26.2021

We have recently seen glide cracks open and release in the Girdwood valley, Turnagain and Summit Lake areas. These avalanches are unpredictable and large since they involve the entire snowpack. Let us know if you see any other cracks or releases, and be sure to avoid getting on or below slopes where you see them open up.