Turnagain Pass

And it continues…. More glide avalanches were reported again yesterday. One of the large glide cracks on Cornbiscuit released sometime in the past two days. Penguin Ridge has even more brown streaks than the day before. New glide cracks were observed on Raggedtop and Max’s. Many of the exisiting cracks on Turnagain Pass have opened significantly in the past few days. I feel like a broken record but the message remains the same and caution recreating around the glides is crucial.

Glide cracks cover all aspects within the mid elevation band (between 1000-3000’) and remain a significant threat to popular terrain. As long as glide cracks continue to open up, move and release, we will stress the importance of avoiding them, which is THE ONLY WAY TO MANAGE THIS AVALANCHE PROBLEM. Remember these are totally unpredictable, release naturally and could be deadly if you were to get caught-up in that amount of snow. It is the entire winter snowpack releasing at the ground. 

Glide crack above Black Creek, Summit Lake. This is in a series of cracks that threatens the egress out of the Manitoba north facing terrain. It is a good example of glide hazard that can be easily avoided with simple route finding. 

Penguin Ridge is in a very active glide avalanche cycle this week. Keep in mind the debris can run into snow free areas and threaten some summer trails, especially around Girdwood Valley and Portage.

Yesterday was another pleasant day in the mountains. There were no reported human triggered avalanches or signs of instability beyond the glide avalanche activity. The few inches of new snow that fell Tuesday night blew around a little but did not form any notable wind slabs. There is preciptation forecasted for this evening and we may see a flake or two today. Pay attention to blowing snow along ridgetops and be aware of how the sun is heating up the snow on solar aspects. If you see any obvious signs of instability like shooting cracks, large roller balls or recent avalanches be prepared to change your plans. Remember LOW danger doesn’t mean NO danger, any one of these avalanche problems listed below are still possible in very steep terrain. Practice safe travel protocol and as we move into the weekend and spring break comes to an end, be mindful of other groups recreating in the same area. You may still run into leprechauns shredding the gnar today…

Wind slabs: Be on the lookout for pillows of newly drifted snow and active wind loading – it is possible that steep terrain could harbor tender isolated wind slabs.

Loose snow: Sluffs are fast moving and will be proportional to the slope you are on today.  Big terrain may yield big sluffs, particularly on cooler, drier northerly aspects.  On slopes with a southern tilt, wet loose avalanches could be initiated later in the day if we get windows of sunshine.  The biggest threat with both of these is the potential to get knocked off your feet in steep, committing terrain. 

Cornice fall: Very large cornice features loom over many ridgelines and have a tendency to break further back than expected. Give them lots of space, and limit exposure time under them. 

Corniced ridgeline above Butcher Creek, Summit Lake.