Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

It was a fairly quiet day in the backcountry yesterday. We did not see or hear of any avalanche activity, nor were there too many folks out watching last weekend’s clear skies fill with clouds. We did get one report of soft wind slab conditions found in steeper north facing terrain.

Today, moderate to strong easterly winds accompanied by a few inches of snow is on tap. Fresh wind drifts and slabs will be forming on the lee side of ridgelines and in catchment zones mid-slope. These are likely to be sensitive to human triggers but in the shallow range (4-12”) due to the modest amount of new snow and the limited existing snow available for transport. Keeping an eye out for smooth rounded surfaces, stiff feeling snow and shooting cracks will be key to avoiding triggering a wind slab avalanche.

Below treeline a stout crust exists on the surface where the few inches of new snow today will likely get blown around and drifted into pockets. These pockets should be quite small but at the same note, will have a hard time sticking to the crust. In the case snowfall amounts increase to more than a few inches, watch for these small drifts to become larger and more worrisome.

The deep slab avalanche problem remains in the back of our heads. We are still concerned that in shallow areas above treeline there is a chance a person could trigger a slab avalanche breaking in the weak snow near the ground. Keeping with good travel practices – exposing only one person at a time, moving efficiently through steep terrain and steering clear of shallow areas near rocks is the best bet for avoiding one of these larger and more dangerous slides.