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Welcome to the 2013/2014 winter season! Our staff is back in the office and operations are starting up. A big thank you to everyone who attended the Bear Tooth Fundraiser as well as the Southcentral Alaska Snow and Avalanche Workshop. Both were a huge success thanks to this great community.
We will be updating our Turnagain Advisory page with intermittent snowpack and weather observations for the beginning of November. Full advisories will begin when the snow flies in earnest – hopfully well before Thanksgiving.
Currently our snow line sits around 2,000ft. Below is a photo of Pyramid Peak taken from the Tesoro gas station on the Seward Highway – Monday Nov. 4th.
Though the snow line is fairly high in our neck of the woods people are still getting out – hiking mostly but in some cases skiing/boarding and hours north from the Anchorage Bowl snowmachining. A few hikers in the Front Range were able to trigger a relatively small but far running wind slab avalanche in nasty terrain over the weekend. Photo of the crown is below. You can see the full observation HERE. This is a great reminder that even small amounts of snow can be a problem. It’s also good to remember that early season avalanches can be more dangerous than later in the winter on the same slopes due to the rocks/etc that have yet to be covered up.
A note on rescue gear:
If you haven’t done so already, make sure all your rescue gear is in order. That means putting new batteries in your beacon and cleaning the terminals if necessary. Checking to see if the cable that holds your probe together is still well intact at the hinge points and not going to break upon assembly. Is your airbag working properly? The American Avalanche Institute has a bunch of great blogs to peruse as we await the white stuff.
Travel Advice | Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern. | Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding, and conservative decision-making essential. | Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended. | Extraordinarily dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid all avalanche terrain. |
Likelihood of Avalanches | Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely. | Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible. | Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely. | Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely. | Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain. |
Avalanche Size and Distribution | Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain. | Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas. | Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas. | Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas. | Very large avalanches in many areas. |
Date | Region | Location | Observer |
---|---|---|---|
10/14/24 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | CNFAC Staff |
05/13/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Eddie’s, Sunburst, Seattle, Cornbiscuit, Pete’s South | H Thamm |
05/13/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Turnagain Pass non-motorized side | Amy Holman |
05/12/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Warm up Bowl | Tony Naciuk |
05/07/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Turnagain Pass Wet Slabs | A S |
04/29/24 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Turnagain aerial obs | Tully Hamer |
04/27/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Johnson Pass | Noah Mery |
04/23/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Turnagain Sunny Side | Travis SMITH |
04/21/24 | Turnagain | Observation: Bertha Creek | Anonymous |
04/20/24 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Spokane Creek | Schauer/ Mailly Forecaster |
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