Turnagain Pass

Yesterday’s storm turned out to be a Girdwood Special with storm totals above treeline between 1-2’ while Turnagain Pass picked up only half that, 6-12” depending on elevation. A hand full of natural avalanches were seen and reported despite low visibility. These were above treeline and mostly garden variety wind slabs in the small to medium category. Seattle Ridge’s cross-loaded gullies on the east face flushed out small slabs and sluffs but debris stopped before hitting the lower angle runnout zones. Below treeline no avalanche activity was seen as the new snow was quite warm and sticky.  Even though Summit Lake only squeaked out a few inches that area was still able to produce natural avalanches thanks to the strong NE winds.

Today, the strong east wind is on the decline but still blowing moderate which is enough to build slabs. Watch for these to be fairly touchy and just beginning the mending process. They most likely will be 1-2+ feet in depth and found off ridgelines, rollovers and cross-loaded in gullies and sub-ridges. If you see cracking in the snow around you it will be a bull’s eye clue that slab is unstable. With the potential for lifting clouds and travel in the upper elevations, remember even a small avalanche triggered can be dangerous if one gets washed into a terrain trap (i.e., over a cliff or into a gully).

Below treeline:  There is between 5-10″ of medium to dense powder on top of multiple crust layers. Yesterday the powder was sticking quite well to the crust, but if the dense snow becomes saturated today with rising temperatures and a creeping up of the rain/snow line, wet loose and wet slab avalanches will be possible above the crust.

Deep slab:  We are continuing to track the weak snow near the ground. This is buried 4-8’+ deep, gaining strength and not likely to be triggered by a person in many areas in the Turnagain Pass and Girdwood Valley. But that said, shallow areas remain in these regions and Summit Lake, being shallower in general,  harbors more of a concern. There are a couple great observations demonstrating these locations HERE and HERE.

With over 24 hours of warm temperatures, snow and strong east wind cornices continue to grow. A few of these broke off yesterday triggering shallow wind slabs below. Keeping an eye for what is above you and giving these guys a wide berth will be prudent as they could be close to the tipping point.