Turnagain Pass

Yesterday, the cold and sustained NW wind not only affected the ridgetops but also penetrated down to treeline in some locations. This allowed for wind slabs to form both on and off the ridgelines. These were on various aspects as the wind was being channeled in many directions by the terrain. A few of these 6-12″ slabs were triggered yesterday by people but were confined to the steeper terrain (around 40 degrees or more).

Today we should see more the same. The cold NW wind continues and though there will be less snow available for transport, we should still see shallow slabs forming. Most of these are likely to be a bit sluggish on slopes around 35 degrees but in steeper terrain expect them to release and pack more of a punch. These slabs can become quite serious in committing terrain if, for example, one gets dragged over a cliff or caught and covered in a terrain trap. Watching for current wind loading, stiff or hollow feeling snow that may crack around you will be signs you have found a wind slab. Also, watch for cross-loading in gullies and sub-ridges as these winds have been blowing well below the ridgetops during the past 24 hours.

As far as the snow surface conditions go, they are highly variable with significant wind affect at most elevations. Soft powder can still be found among the wind hardened surfaces in the more sheltered locations above 2,000’. Mostly supportable crusty conditions exist below 2,000’.

The deep freeze over us again today is helping considerably to “lock” in the snowpack as a whole (except for the wind slab problem discussed above). However, we are still concerned that in shallow areas above treeline there remains a chance a person could trigger a slab avalanche breaking near the ground. Keeping with good travel practices – exposing only one person at a time, moving efficiently through steep terrain and steering clear of trigger points such as shallow areas near rocks will be your best bet for avoiding one of these larger and more dangerous slides.