Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast
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The Bottom Line
Cold and stable weather persists, holding the avalanche problem steady over the last 2 weeks. Above treeline, pockets of Moderate avalanche danger may still be found, but the trend is for slowly diminishing problems. It’s been a while now since we’ve seen any new significant avalanche activity.
A shallow faceted snowpack and little wind keeps the danger trend the same. In most places people are traveling the snowpack has rotted out to a sugary, sometimes unsupportable base. Collapses or whumphing are getting harder to find, and seem to be focused closer to a person than they were a couple weeks ago. Pit tests are confirming this trend with poor propagation potential compared to mid November. The nature of the snowpack makes it hard to explore too far without hitting rocks… If you are going skiing, you might want to grab some p-tex repair materials on the way home.
A healthy amount of uncertainty still exists in the mountains. We know the structure of the snowpack is poor. Very few people are testing slopes steeper than 35 degrees. Our information is limited due to below average use because of the difficulty in accessing much of our backcountry terrain. While it seems unlikely to trigger a major avalanche, anything that does slide will strip the snow to the ground, exposing rocks and other trauma inducing objects at the bedsurface. A Moderate level of caution is still warranted in the steeper zones above treeline.
It is cold and calm outside today. The temperature inversion continues with Portage reading -23 this morning and ridgetops around Girdwood and Turnagain Pass reaching into the low teens.
The general weather trend is expected to hold until the weekend, then snow is possible with temperatures rising to the 20s. According to NOAA – PATTERN CHANGE STILL UPCOMING USHERING IN A MORE PROGRESSIVE SOUTHWESTERLY FLOW AFTER THE WEEKEND…HOWEVER THE DETAILS ARE STILL UP IN THE AIR ON EXACTLY WHERE THE PREDOMINANT STORM TRACK WILL SET UP.
This is a general backcountry avalanche advisory issued for Turnagain Arm with Turnagain Pass as the core advisory area (this advisory does not apply to highways, railroads, or operating ski areas).
Wendy will issue the next advisory Thursday morning, December 6th.
| Date | Region | Location | Observer |
|---|---|---|---|
| 05/22/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | Nick D'Alessio |
| 05/12/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan, Sunburst, Magnum, Cornbiscuit | Heather Thamm |
| 05/07/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan – Bear Tracks | CNFAIC Staff |
| 05/05/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Seattle Ridge | AS/ WW Forecaster |
| 05/02/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Cornbiscuit | Schauer/ Sturgess Forecaster |
| 05/02/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Seward Hwy Turnagain Pass | Joel Curtis |
| 04/30/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Magnum | Ayla, Kit Crosby, Barton |
| 04/29/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan | John Sykes |
| 04/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Taylor Pass/Pastoral | Schauer/ Creighton Forecaster |
| 04/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | Andy Moderow |
Status of riding areas across the Chugach NF is managed by the Glacier and Seward Ranger Districts, not avalanche center staff. Riding area information is posted as a public service to our users and updated based on snow depth and snow density to prevent resource damage at trailhead locations. Riding area questions contact: mailroom_r10_chugach@fs.fed.us
| Area | Status | Weather & Riding Conditions |
|---|---|---|
| Glacier District | ||
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This is a general backcountry avalanche advisory issued for Turnagain Arm with Turnagain Pass as the core advisory area. This advisory does not apply to highways, railroads or operating ski areas.
