Turnagain Pass

Today’s shift to daylight savings time 2013 is accompanied by over 11 hours of daylight along with some variable snow surface conditions. The strong easterly winds during the end of last week’s storm did a little bit of damage in the Turnagain Pass zone. Everything from scoured surfaces to soft wind drifts up to 2’ deep to punchy wind crusts are out there. But don’t despair – there is still plenty of good settled powder in areas that escaped the brunt of the wind. Above 1,000′ that is. Below 1,000′, crusty melt-freeze conditions are firmly in place. It seems there was very little avalanche activity from the past storm event and mostly confined to cornice falls.

We found a few wind loaded slopes yesterday that showed signs of propagation and potential sensitivity to human triggers. Though no avalanche activity was seen or reported yesterday, these lingering slabs are a bit slow to bond and should be treated as suspect on steeper slopes – those approaching 40 degrees and steeper. As for the winds today, these are not forecast to be strong enough to move snow around. But in the case the disturbance over us intensifies and wind does increases, keep an eye out for any fresh wind drifts to form. Watching for cracking in the snow around you, along with stiffer snow over softer snow, will be your best clues for sussing out an old or new slab.

The Girdwood Valley received more than double the amount of snow at the end of last week than Turnagain Pass (28+” compared to ~12”). Hence, expect slabs in this region to be larger.

Additional Concerns:
Wet loose snow avalanches:  It’s that time of year. Watch for daytime heating, either by the sun or warm cloudy conditions, to dampen the surface snow. Roller balls are typically the first sign the surface is loosening and damp or wet sluffs become possible.

Once again, cornice falls make up one of the top two avalanche “Concerns”. These have grown to be very large in many areas. The past two storms were ideal cornice builders – characterized by mild temperatures and moderate to strong winds. Though Thursday saw 100+mph winds – too strong for good cornice growth – the majority of the snow came in after that, when wind had slackened to the 50mph range. Remember, cornices can release spontaneously just as easy as they can be triggered by a person, or several people, on ridgelines. Giving these guys a wider berth than thought necessary and steering clear of areas underneath them, especially during the heat of the day, will be wise.