Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast
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In the absence of sun today, the danger will be generally LOW. Warmer temperatures are expected for low elevations today, and combined with a small amount of rain we may see some minor wet loose activity below treeline. Above treeline we are still finding a lot of mature overhanging cornices that can fail spontaneously at random times. Overall our snowpack right now is strong, with only a couple weak anomalies that are very difficult to trigger by a person.
Cornices throughout the region are getting to be very large in most areas, including Turnagain Pass. The largest natural avalanches in the last 5 days have been as a result of cornice falls. In Haines a heli-ski guide was killed over the weekend when his party collapsed a cornice. We got a report of a natural avalanche in the Placer river region yesterday that may have been a cornice failure.
Cornice safety relies on managing exposure. This means you should limit the time you spend directly underneath overhanging features, especially if temperatures are warm or they are in direct sun exposure. Traveling directly on ridge tops can be safe, as long as you give a wide berth to any overhanging sections. When standing on a ridge it can be very difficult to know how far back a cornice might break. In general, the breaking point is much further back than you might expect.
The good news related to cornices is that they are one of nature’s best slope stability tests. We get a lot of information from cornice failures when the slope underneath gets pummeled by thousands of pounds of hard cornice chunks. Based on our observations of cornice failure, the current snowpack is showing minimal reactivity to large triggers. This means that backcountry travelers are unlikely to trigger a slab avalanche in the backcountry today.
The one recent exception was a cornice that triggered a deep slab on the mid elevation ice crust in steep terrain in the Girdwood valley on Sunday.
Yesterday’s sunny skies were hammering southerly slopes with solar radiation. Temperatures overall were not much above freezing, so the warming effect was minimal but still noticeable. Some direct south facing slopes at low elevation showed a small amount of loose wet avalanche activity.
Sun is not in the weather forecast today, but temperatures are expected to reach into the low 40s at sea level. This may be enough to melt the surface crusts and cause more minor loose avalanche activity by the afternoon.
Yesterday was sunny and calm with mild temperatures. Our last big shot of moisture was 6 days ago, and the snowpack has been settling and strengthening since then.
Today, rain and snow is in the forecast. Actual amounts predicted are very minor, leading me to believe that new precipitation today will not have a significant effect on the avalanche danger. The rain/snow line is predicted at 700 feet today. Temperatures may reach into the low 40s at sea level. Expect light wind to 15mph from the south.
Tomorrow a larger storm system is moving into our region with high wind, rain, and snow forecasted. We can expect the avalanche danger to increase for Thursday and Friday as a result of this coming storm.
Graham will issue the next advisory on Thursday, March 7th.
Date | Region | Location | Observer |
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02/07/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Seattle Ridge | Wagner / Keeler Forecaster |
02/07/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Pete’s North | Megan Guinn |
02/05/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Rookie Hill | Tony Naciuk |
01/31/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Johnson Pass area | Megan Guinn / W Wagner Forecaster |
01/29/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan Backdoor | AAS-Level 1 1/27-1/30 |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Sunburst | Brooke Edwards |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Seattle Ridge | W Wagner |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan Common | Tony Naciuk |
01/27/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Sunburst | John Sykes |
01/27/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Lynx Creek | Megan Guinn / W Wagner |
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 |
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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.