Yesterday’s storm brought a few inches of snow to Girdwood and Turnagain Pass. Portage Valley near the lake got 8-10″. The winds died down in the early morning but the strong easterly winds from Monday night should not be forgotten today. We have been talking about the January 21st buried surface hoar layer for a couple weeks now. This layer has been responsible for the scattered avalanche activity over the past week and a half (including a large avalanche that occurred on Saturday on Twin Peaks). Slopes that got more wind effect/loading may now have a stiffer and more reactive slab over the buried surface hoar. Leeward slopes in the Alpine are the most suspect. The new snow may be may have covered up the surface signs of wind effect. It will be important to pay attention to where the snow feels stiff, looks pillowed or sounds hollow and watch for shooting cracks. Before committing to steep terrain, identify terrain traps like gullies, cliffs or rocks below and consider the consequences if even a small slab is released. The new snow also fell on a fresh crop of surface hoar that developed last week. In Portage due to more new snow, even on lower elevation slopes, this February 5th surface hoar layer could be the layer of concern.
*Deep Persistent Slab: Weak snow can still be found near the ground at the upper most elevations in our forecast area, 3,000′ – 5,000′. Although triggering a Deep Persistent Slab is very unlikely, it is worth keeping in mind that poor structure does exist at the high elevations.
The January 21st buried surface hoar found in a snow pit yesterday under some stiffer wind-affected snow. Photo: Sam Galoob
One of the lower piles of debris from the Twin Peaks avalanche that occurred on February 3rd.
The February 5th buried surface hoar layer under a couple of inches of new snow at Turnagain Pass. Photo: Sam Galoob
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