Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast
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Springtime in November? Unseasonably warm temperatures continue to delay winter, but not necessarily avalanche season.
Avalanche activity over the past week has quieted down substantially during the past few days, however there are still a few things to be on the lookout for. First, Glide avalanches: Be aware of glide cracks and avoid being near or under them. Second, wet avalanches: Keep in mind wet sluffs could be initiated if you find yourself in snow that is soft and saturated.
*We will continue to post intermittent updates. Advisories are scheduled to begin Saturday, November 22nd.
For the most up to date information keep tabs on our observation page. Please, send us an observation if you are getting out this weekend!!
Thank you to everyone who came out to the Bear Tooth last night and supported the CNFAIC at our annual Fundraiser!! It was a huge success and a lot of fun. Special thanks to Luc Mehl for his powerful presentation “Lust, Loss, and Things to Look At”.
Check out our calendar page for upcoming events!!
For anyone venturing to Turnagain Pass, it is clear there is not much snow below treeline and a lot of old avalanche activity above treeline. Although things have quieted down avalanche-wise, glide avalanches remain something to keep on your radar. These are simply unpredictable and destructive avalanches. The good thing is most of the time glides are preceded by a slowly opening crack and therefore easy to identify and avoid. Hence, be aware of glide cracks and avoid being under them.
Below is a photo of several glide cracks on the west nose of Eddies (popular ski/snowboard slope). This is just an example of how much glide activity is present right now. This photo is from 5 days ago and some have released but many are still in wait.
Matt Murphy photo from Nov 9th.
With persistent warm temperatures, including a spike on Thursday (chart below), the snowpack could be fairly wet near treeline. The clear skies are likely freezing the surface to some degree but there also could be areas where the snow remains soft. Triggering a wet loose slide into a terrain trap comes to mind as something to be aware of in soft saturated snow.
Check out the warm ridgetop temperatures at the Sunburst weather station (3812′) below. And, two days ago on Nov 11th the Girdwood Yard station in Old Girdwood recorded a record high temperature for November: 50F!
After a 10-day long bout of warm, wet and windy weather, the wet and windy parts have moved west but the warm remains. For the next week or so a complex set of low pressure systems will spin to our south and continue to pump warm air our way. Sunday and mid-week there may be some moisture associated with the southerly flow, but all in all, winter remains on the horizon.
Date | Region | Location | Observer |
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01/28/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Sunburst | Brooke Edwards |
01/28/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Seattle Ridge | W Wagner |
01/27/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Sunburst | John Sykes |
01/27/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Lynx Creek | Megan Guinn / W Wagner |
01/25/23 | Turnagain | Observation: Cornbiscuit | John Sykes Forecaster |
01/22/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Tincan | Schauer/ Guinn |
01/21/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Seattle Ridge | Elias Holt |
01/21/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Lynx drainage – avalanche | CNFAIC Staff |
01/21/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche/People Involved: Warm up bowl (-1 bowl) avalanche | Anonymous |
01/21/23 | Turnagain | Avalanche: Sunburst Ridge | Megan Guinn / W Wagner |
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.