Turnagain Pass

With the 1-2 combo of new snow and strong winds in the forecast, we have prime conditions for avalanche activity.  It’s always good to remember simple rules about snow.  The first one being, ‘snow does not like rapid change.’  With these stronger winds, look for loading on slopes to occur lower than normally seen.  Notice that our avalanche problems have changed, literally, overnight.  While wind slabs are the primary problem today, we need to remember what the snow surface looked like before this new loading began.  Above treeline we were seeing a weak snow surface underlain by everything from stiff old windslab to several feet of faceted snow.  This tired old snow we’ve been looking at is quickly becoming the new weak layer & bed surface.  Wind slabs will be most prominent above treeline.  It will be critical to pay attention to the terrain you are under today and know if you are in a runout zone.  Conservative travel practices will be critical as avalanches starting in the upper elevations have the potential to run into lower elevation runout zones.  Keep in mind that visibility will limit your ability to know where you are in relation to these areas.

While it’s exciting to finally see the white stuff falling again, it is important to remember what this new snow is falling on; very weak faceted snow.  The second simple rule for snow for today: ‘strong snow over weak snow equals a problem.’  The weight of this new load alone should be enough to tip the balance, especially by the afternoon.  By adding in a person or snowmachine to the mix avalanches will be much more likely to occur.  Given what the base of the snowpack looks like, loose and rotten, all areas with new snow should be viewed as guilty until proven innocent.  If you are seeing avalanches, shooting cracks or getting collapsing/whoompfing, it is time to back off of any slopes steep enough to slide.  Expect these signs to become more prevalent throughout the day.