Turnagain Pass

It’s been 16 days now since the climax of our March avalanche cycle where up to 5 feet of snow fell across the zone in a 5-day period.  The weak layers underlying that slab have since adjusted to the load and we’ve experienced exceptional stability as of late throughout the core advisory area.  That being said, there are still a few springtime concerns that garner attention.

Cornices:

A cornice failure is – by far – the most dangerous avalanche problem in the backcountry currently. Cornice falls are very hard to predict but we do know they are more likely to fail as the day heats up.  During this extended high pressure, with warm daytime temps and light winds, large overhanging cornices will continue to ripen toward likely failure.  As always, minimize your time spent underneath or near corniced ridges by giving them an extra wide berth when travelling below or ridge-walking.

Surface snow on non-solar aspects continues to facet and rot-out.  This is making for great surface conditions on north aspects considering it hasn’t snowed in well over two-weeks.  Sluffing may prove a concern in steep, high consequence terrain for knocking a skier or boarder off their feet.  This is less of a concern if you’ve got a motor underneath you, as any snow moving will be low volume.

On steep solar aspects a skier or rider may be able to initiate a wet snow slide as these slopes heat up late in the day.  Once again these will be low in volume but potentially dangerous in high consequence terrain such as above a terrain trap. 

“Heads Up” conditions in steep terrain:
There are plenty of steep slopes with firm surfaces that require a healthy amount of careful and focused travel.  A fall in steep terrain could result in loss of control of a snowmachine or be difficult for skiers or snowboarders to arrest.  Pay attention to the snow surface and continually assess and re-assess as you travel through the mountains today.