Turnagain Pass Avalanche Forecast

Glide avalanches continue to release and glide cracks are growing daily. An observer on Wednesday noted movement in the Cornbiscuit glide crack over the course of two ski runs. There was glide avalanche that was observed on south face of Manitoba yesterday that occured sometime between 12 pm-4pm. Glide avalanches are still totally unpredictable and travel underneath glide cracks should be avoided. 

Recent glide avalanche in the Seattle Creek drainage. This was initially observed Wednesday afternoon and Wendy got a photo of it yesterday.

The Cornbiscuit glide crack is huge, growing and scary… It is worth checking out the other photos from the observation on Wednesday. 

Photo: Kevan Dee

The cornices are impressive and hang over many slopes in the advisory area. There was a report of a snowmachine triggered cornice fall in Warmup Bowl on Wednesday that took the rider by surprise. They luckily did not go over with the falling chunks of snow. Cornices have the potential to be quite dangerous if you take ride with them or if they fall from above onto you. Avoid travel on top, watch for cornice cracks and limit exposure while traveling below. We are not ruling out the possibility of a large cornice fall triggering an avalanche on the slope below due the massive loading potential. 

Snowmachine triggered cornice fall in Warmup Bowl on Wednesday.

Today is a transitional day as we say goodbye to the sunshine and the clouds move in with the possibility of snow showers. Depending on the thickness of the cloud cover we may still see some surface warming of the snowpack. We have had no reports of human triggered avalanches in the past few days. There is still the possibility of triggering lingering wind slabs in steep leeward terrain, especially unsupported convex slopes. If you are out in the mountains it is worth checking out surface conditions, as these will be what the next wave of snow hopefully bonds to. Southerly slopes have a crust; there have been reports of small surface hoar formation in some areas and in protected areas loose snow is starting to facet. In addition there is a wide array of wind-affected snow at higher elevations and a delightful rain crust lower down.

Loose snow avalanches: Steep protected areas have loose snow that may be enough to push you off your feet if it gains enough force and mass as it travels down slope with you. Manage your sluff by moving out of its path before it hits you.

Surface conditions at Turnagain pass.