Turnagain Pass Archives
| Date | Rating | Problem #1 | Problem #2 | The Bottom Line |
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 Storm Slabs
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The avalanche danger is expected to rise to CONSIDERABLE by the end of the day on upper elevation slopes receiving over 8″ of new snow accompanied by strong wind. In this case, wind slabs 10-16″ thick are likely to be triggered by people on leeward slopes and may release naturally. In areas unaffected by winds [Read More] | ||
 Normal Caution
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There is a generally LOW avalanche danger in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass. Although triggering a slab avalanche is unlikely, old hard wind slabs 1-3′ thick sitting on faceted snow remain in some places. With the right trigger spot and/or the right amount of force (several people and/or snowmachines) it may not be impossible to [Read More] | ||
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Normal Caution
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There is a generally LOW avalanche danger in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass. Although triggering a slab avalanche is unlikely, old hard wind slabs 1-3′ thick sitting on faceted snow remain. With the right trigger spot and/or the right amount of force (several people and/or snowmachines) it may not be impossible to get a slab [Read More] | ||
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Normal Caution
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There is a generally LOW avalanche danger in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass. Although triggering a slab avalanche is unlikely, old hard wind slabs 1-3′ thick sitting on faceted snow remain. With the right amount of force (several people and/or snowmachines) it may not be impossible to get a slab to pop out. Most suspect [Read More] | ||
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Normal Caution
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A generally LOW avalanche danger exists in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass. Although triggering an avalanche is unlikely, old hard wind slabs 1-3′ thick remain. With the right amount of force it’s not impossible for one to pop out. Most suspect areas are in steep rocky terrain where slabs are not supported from below. A [Read More] | ||
 Persistent Slabs
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 Glide Avalanches
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A MODERATE avalanche danger remains in the Alpine where triggering an old wind slab or a deeper hard slab 2+’ thick is possible on steep wind loaded slopes that haven’t avalanched. At Treeline and below there is LOW avalanche danger, where triggering an avalanche is unlikely, but not impossible. In the periphery zones of Girdwood, [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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Glide Avalanches
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A MODERATE avalanche danger remains in the Alpine where triggering an isolated wind slab or a deeper hard slab 2+’ thick is possible on steep wind loaded slopes that haven’t avalanched. At Treeline and below there is LOW avalanche danger, where triggering an avalanche is unlikely, but not impossible. In the periphery zones of [Read More] | ||
 Wind Slabs
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Persistent Slabs
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A MODERATE avalanche danger exists on steep terrain above the trees where winds have loaded slopes. Although the very strong winds have blown much of the snow away, expect to find shallow wind slabs that formed off ridgelines and lower on slopes. Watch for any steep slope that harbors recent wind deposited snow. Additionally, these [Read More] | ||
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Wind Slabs
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Persistent Slabs
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A MODERATE avalanche danger remains in the alpine (all areas above the trees) where triggering a small isolated wind slab is possible today. Triggering a deeper 2+’ thick hard slab will be stubborn to trigger, but not impossible on specific terrain features on North and East aspects that have not avalanched yet. Avoid slopes that [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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 Announcement
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A MODERATE avalanche danger remains in the Alpine where triggering an isolated wind slab or a deeper slab 2+’ thick is possible on steep wind loaded slopes that haven’t avalanched. At Treeline and below there is LOW avalanche danger, where triggering an avalanche is unlikely, but not impossible. In the periphery zones of Girdwood, Johnson [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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A MODERATE avalanche danger remains in the alpine where triggering an isolated wind slab or a deeper slab 2+’ thick is possible on steep wind loaded slopes that haven’t avalanched. Within the trees and at lower elevations there is LOW avalanche danger, where triggering an avalanche is unlikely, but not impossible. In the periphery zones [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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A MODERATE avalanche danger remains in the alpine where triggering an isolated wind slab or a deeper slab 2+’ thick is possible on steep wind loaded slopes that haven’t avalanched. Within the trees and at lower elevations there is LOW avalanche danger, where triggering an avalanche is less likely. In the periphery zones of [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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There is a MODERATE avalanche danger in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass on all slopes above 1,000′ where winds have affected the snow. Triggering a wind slab avalanche on slopes steeper than 35 degrees will be possible. These slabs are hard and sitting on a variety of weak layers. They also have the potential to [Read More] | ||
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Wind Slabs
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Persistent Slabs
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A CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass and Girdwood Valley on all slopes out of the trees. Human triggered wind slabs are likely on leeward and cross loaded slopes. It will also be possible to trigger a slab 2-3′ thick on older buried weak layers. In sheltered areas a MODERATE [Read More] | ||
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Wind Slabs
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Persistent Slabs
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A CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists in the mountians surrounding Turnagain Pass on all slopes out of the trees. Strong winds are expected to form wind slabs that could release naturally and be easy to trigger by a person. Winds could blow below ridgelines and load, or cross-load, slopes that sit near treeline that are exposed [Read More] | ||
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Wind Slabs
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Persistent Slabs
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The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE in the Alpine and human triggered wind slabs are likely on leeward slopes. It will be also possible to trigger a slab 2-3′ thick on older buried weak layers. At Treeline in the mid-elevation band (1000′-2500′) the avalanche danger is MODERATE. It is possible to trigger a 2-3′ slab [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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 Deep Persistent Slabs
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The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE in the alpine and treeline elevations where triggering an avalanche 2-3′ thick is likely to have high consequences. An avalanche this size also has the potential to step down into a deeper layer of the snowpack in the upper elevations. Avoid being on or under steep slopes and pay attention [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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Deep Persistent Slabs
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The avalanche danger is CONSIDERABLE in the alpine and treeline elevations where triggering an avalanche 2-3′ thick is likely on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. An avalanche this size could be triggered remotely on adjacent slopes and has the potential to step down into a deeper layer of the snowpack. Avoid being on or under [Read More] | ||
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Storm Slabs
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A BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING was issued through the National Weather Service yesterday and remains in effect until 6 pm today for the Turnagain Pass area and surrounding mountains. Heavy snowfall and strong winds have created a HIGH avalanche danger in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass, Girdwood Valley, Portage Valley and areas on the Kenai [Read More] | ||
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Storm Slabs
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A BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE WARNING has been issued through the National Weather Service for the Turnagain Pass area and surrounding mountains. Heavy snowfall and strong winds have created a HIGH avalanche danger in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass, Girdwood Valley, Portage Valley and areas on the Kenai seeing heavy snowfall. Dangerous avalanche conditions are expected [Read More] | ||
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Wind Slabs
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Storm Slabs
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The avalanche danger is MODERATE this morning in the Alpine due to the possibility of fresh wind slabs on leeward aspects as winds have picked up and there is snow available for transport. At Treeline and below the danger is LOW. The danger level may rise to CONSIDERABLE at all elevations as a warm, wet [Read More] | ||
 Dry Loose
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Persistent Slabs
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A generally LOW avalanche danger exists in the mountains surrounding Turnagain Pass. The surface snow is very loose and triggering loose snow avalanches (sluffing) on steeper slopes should be expected. Triggering a slab avalanche in ‘Green light’ conditions is still possible. This includes, fresh shallow wind slabs where the winds may be blowing just enough [Read More] | ||
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Wind Slabs
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Persistent Slabs
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Today the avalanche danger is MODERATE in the Alpine where triggering an isolated wind slab or a slab 1-2′ deep is possible on steep wind-loaded terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully and manage your terrain choices with safe travel protocols. At Treeline and below the avalanche danger is LOW. Remember to avoid terrain traps [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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Dry Loose
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Today the avalanche danger is MODERATE in the Alpine where trigging a slab up to 2′ thick is still possible on steep wind-loaded terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully and manage your terrain choices with safe travel protocols. At Treeline and below the avalanche danger is LOW. Remember to avoid terrain traps where an [Read More] | ||
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Persistent Slabs
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 Cornice
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There is a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger above treeline surrounding Turnagain Pass, Girdwood Valley and Summit Lake on the Kenai. A 1-2′ slab is sitting on weak unstable snow where human triggered avalanches are likely on steep slopes in the alpine, above 2000′. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding and conservative decision-making are essential in all [Read More] |