Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

Good morning. This is Wendy Wagner with the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center. Due to early season conditions, for both the snowpack and our operations, we will be issuing intermittent snow and avalanche updates between today and November 17th, as conditions dictate. A thin blanket of snow sits in the mountains welcoming in the season and that means we need to start thinking avalanches. It is also the time for replacing beacon batteries and becoming reacquainted with your rescue gear.

ANNOUNCEMENTS
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Friends of the CNFAIC’s benefit hosted by the Bear Tooth – it was a full house and a great success!!

The calendar is filling up with free awareness classes and other avalanche education courses offered in our area so make plans accordingly. The first of four “fireside chats” starts Nov. 8th in Girdwood (see calendar for further details).

Keep checking our photos/observations page for early season information.

SNOWPACK and AVALANCHE DISCUSSION
For those that have ventured into the hills recently it has been clear that the largest hazards have been along the lines of bears, rocks, stumps and crevasses. The little snow that is on the ground (3-20″) is mostly from mid October with 2-3 inches of light new snow on top. Avalanche activity has been confined to sluffing in either the new snow and/or the weak October snow.

West shoulder of Tincan ridge (~3000′, Nov 1st, 2012)

Future concerns:
We are dealing with a very thin and weak early season snow cover. The snow that fell in mid October sat under clear skies for two weeks and has turned to facets (sugar snow) with some impressive surface hoar (1-20cm) growing on top. When this 3-20″ of weak snow becomes overloaded with additional snow we could see widespread avalanche activity and a rapid rise in danger.  

General snowcover as of November 1st

For today, the few inches of snow with moderate winds has the potential to form pockets of wind slabs near ridgelines and gullies. If triggered these pockets will likely pick up steam as they would entrain the loose faceted snow adding to the size of the slide. Watching for areas with recent wind deposited snow and steering clear of runouts under sustained steep slopes and gullies, where sluffs may run far, are good things to keep in mind. Even a small sluff could be quite painful if caught up in as rocks and stumps abound.