Turnagain Pass

With a foot of snow falling on Turnagain Pass Monday, ski and snowmachine movies debuting and other early season events, winter must be on its way!!  And, we may even see a few more inches of snow this weekend.

Upcoming Events:

November 7th:    Southcentral Alaska Avalanche Workshop. A gathering of snow professionals for a day of learning, presentation, discussion and networking. All are welcome! See  akavalancheworkshop.org  for more details.

November 8th – 10th:    Alaska Winter Weather Forecasting Course. An  amazing, and intense, mountain weather course taught by a former Alaska avalanche forecaster and current mountain meteorologist Jim Woodmencey!    http://alaskaavalanche.com/  

November 13th:    Woohoo! Join the Friends of the CNFAIC and forecasters for our  6th Annual CNFAIC Fundraiser  featuring Luc Mehl! Details  HERE.

November 18th:  FREE  Avalanche Awareness talk at REI  – 6:00-7:30pm

November 20th:    Winter Project World Premiere!!  

Avalanche Center  Update:  

We are currently gearing up for the season and in the midst of a couple staffing changes. We will be hiring one forecaster soon to join Graham Predeger, Wendy Wagner and John Fitzgerald. Kevin Wright, the former Director, has moved on to greener pastures and he will be missed!

We will be posting intermittent updates during the first half of November. In mid-November we will start issuing advisories.

**For those of you entertaining the early season conditions: We are in need of your observations, photos and/or videos!! How much snow are you finding and where (no need to give up your secret spot €“ general locations work too). How is the snow; soft, crusty, wind distributed? Please help us begin to map out our snowpack and submit an observation. You can do that  HERE  or by clicking the €˜submit an observation’ tab on the menu bar.
 

Early Season Reminders:

Now is THE time to start checking your avalanche RESCUE gear.  

• Do you have fresh batteries for your beacon? Are the battery terminals clean or corroded?
• Is the cable in your probe still strong or is it frayed and ready to break upon assembly?
• Is your shovel solid? (Last season, after 9 years, my tried-and-true shovel finally began to weaken and bend where the handle meets the blade €¦no good.)
• Air bag? Is it assembled properly and your canister filled?
• Last but not least, do you have a plan for practicing with your gear? Take some time away from battling alders and rocks and bury a few beacons for your friends (aka potential lifesaving partners)!!

What’s going on with the weather?

General weather:  HERE  
Developmental Eastern Turnagain Arm Forecast:  HERE  (Bookmark this page if you have not done so already)
What it looks like up at Turnagain Pass:  AKDOT’s webcams!
Treeline snow depth on Center Ridge:    SNOTEL site  (as of Friday Oct. 24th there is 6 inches of settled snow from Oct. 20th’s 12 inches).