Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

I think the word is out that Turnagain Pass is not the place to find powder snow – this weekend anyhow… After a very warm storm rolled through Thursday saturating much of the snowpack up to 2,500′ and the surface layers up to 3,500′, the pack is slowly freezing from the top down. The rain wiped out much of the snow below 1,500′ and hiking is required from the parking lots at the Pass. Above 1,500′, the snowpack does get deeper quickly, but it’s the surface conditions that are the challenge. In short, the surface crust is mostly supportable, hard and slick. Beware that steep slopes have a slide-for-life character.

Where the crust ends and the soft snow begins is likely around 4,000′. If you are headed to these high elevations, assessing the snowpack is key. Keep your eye out for weak snow, such as buried surface hoar or facets, sitting under stiffer slabs. Finding a slab avalanche, most likely a wind slab, in these more remote and high elevations is possible. 

For more details on snowpack and surface conditions, check out the several observations sent in yesterday from a level 2 avalanche course in the neighborhood. Thanks Alaska Avalanche School!

Many glide cracks continue to open up in the forecast zone. During the day yesterday several new cracks were seen opening as well as existing cracks widen. None were reported to have avalanched but one avalanche instructor commented “We would not want to be below these glide cracks right now!”. That said, these are easy to recognize and avoidance is the best tactic considering their unpredictable nature and destructive potential. This is not the kind of avalanche a person can trigger, rather would be a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. 

Photo below: Two avalanche students inspect a freshly open glide crack on Tincan ~2,800′ South facing. Notice the additional cracks further along the subridge. (Photo credit: Eeva Latosuo)

Photo below is of three “brown frowns” that have opened in the pat 48-hours (Eeva Latosuo).