Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

In the last 48 hours we have seen some big lines skied between Girdwood and Turnagain Pass; it’ll be a good idea to approach big terrain with extra caution today until you can answer the question: How well is todays new storm snow and fresh wind slabs bonding with yesterdays snow surface?  Forecasters found the gamut of surface conditions yesterday from impenetrable crusts at lower elevations to stiff wind board and soft wind textured powder growing surface hoar and facets at upper elevations.  Lots of quick hasty snowpits (hand pits or pole pits) to look at the storm interface may give you good information today before committing to a specific slope. 

Wind slabs forming yesterday and today are expected to be shallow in the 6-18” range proving manageable in most terrain, however pockets still exist where deeper, large avalanches are possible in isolated areas (see photo below).  As always, escape routes and zones of safety are critical when recreating in these mountains.

6-8’ hard slab likely ran on a buried crust sometime between March 8^th and March 11th. Debris was 10-15’ deep at the toe of this avalanche.  This is a good example of a large, unmanageable avalanche that can be found in isolated areas. Notice how low on the slope the crown face is; likely due to 100+ mph winds last Thursday loading this slope well below the ridgeline.

Cornice fall is still very much on our radar and will be a genuine concern again today.  The good news with cornices is that they are generally easy to manage.  The fact that we can see them means we can avoid them, and avoidance is key.  Don’t spend excessive time underneath cornices and stay much further back than you think necessary when travelling along a corniced ridge.  Cornice fall is quite unpredictable, but expect them to become more unstable late in the day as temperatures and any direct sunlight warm the snow surface.

If you haven’t read Wendy’s write up on the large cornice fall and subsequent avalanche in the Goldpan area, take a few minutes and check it out here.