Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast
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Clear skies, cold temperatures, and a stable snowpack are contributing to keep the avalanche danger LOW. Large unstable cornices have produced the largest and most dangerous avalanches over the last week. Small wind slabs may be found in isolated spots at higher elevation. Loose snow sluffs are very minor right now, and wet sluffs are unlikely today even with sunny skies because of cold temperatures. Today is a great time to work into steeper terrain, especially on northern aspects that do not have sun crusts.
We’ve received a few more reports of impressive cornice falls, the exact timing of which is unknown. Without a trigger such as a person, dog, or snowmachine weighting the top of the cornice, failure is unlikely and very difficult to predict. Heat from the sun this afternoon does not look like a big factor today, but it is worth considering that they lose strength as the air temperature gets close to the melting point.
Avoiding unstable cornices is the key to staying safe around them. Try not to spend excessive time underneath them and know what is underneath you when traveling along ridges.
Check out Wendy’s writeup on the large cornice avalanche in Goldpan here.
Wind slabs are possible in higher elevation terrain, and the surprise factor and ability to propagate across larger areas could make even shallow wind slabs dangerous in steep terrain. We got one report yesterday from the Portage valley area of a larger but shallow wind slab, the timing is unknown. Wind overnight briefly got strong enough to blow snow around. This concern should remain the exception rather than the rule.
Additional Concerns –
From what we saw yesterday, loose snow will move but I wouldn’t really call it a problem. In steep terrain our team could get the top 4 inches of snow to sluff easily, but volume was low and the moving snow stayed very manageable for a skier.
Wet snow sluffs are possible on south facing slopes late in the day. Again, everything we’ve seen qualifies as manageable, low volume, and slow moving. We have yet to see wet sluffs propagate into larger slab avalanches.
Today looks like another day of perfect late winter weather. Sun is in the forecast, with increasing clouds this afternoon transitioning to snow tonight and tomorrow. Wind is light currently and should stay minimal throughout the day. Temperatures are relatively cold, but the sunny skies will help to make the afternoon comfortable and warm. This morning temperatures range from the mid teens in most areas to slightly below zero in the standard cold spots such as Summit Lake and Granite creek.
Tonight, snow is possible but the bulk of the precipitation looks to be in the daylight hours on Thursday.
Graham will issue the next advisory Thurday morning, March 14th.
Date | Region | Location | Observer |
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05/22/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | Nick D'Alessio |
05/12/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan, Sunburst, Magnum, Cornbiscuit | Heather Thamm |
05/07/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan – Bear Tracks | CNFAIC Staff |
05/05/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Seattle Ridge | AS/ WW Forecaster |
05/02/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Cornbiscuit | Schauer/ Sturgess Forecaster |
05/02/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Seward Hwy Turnagain Pass | Joel Curtis |
04/30/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Magnum | Ayla, Kit Crosby, Barton |
04/29/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Tincan | John Sykes |
04/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Taylor Pass/Pastoral | Schauer/ Creighton Forecaster |
04/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | Andy Moderow |
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.