Turnagain Pass Archives

Date	Rating	Problem #1	Problem #2	The Bottom Line
Mon, March 30th, 2015		Storm Slabs	Wet Loose	MODERATE avalanche danger exists on steep slopes in both the Alpine and Treeline elevations today.   Slabs up to 18 € thick and wet loose avalanches could be triggered on slopes approaching 40 degrees and higher.   Warming temperatures in the lower elevations and occasional sunshine will increase the chances of triggering avalanches.   Cornices [Read More]
Sun, March 29th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Wet Loose	There is a  MODERATE avalanche danger today at all elevations and aspects. With 5-7″ of new snow and moderate Easterly winds in the forecast above 2,500′, fresh wind slab avalanches will be possible to trigger on windloaded slopes over 35 degrees. These slabs are expected to be in the 8-12″ thick range. Additionally, wet loose [Read More]
Sat, March 28th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Dry Loose	The avalanche danger is LOW in many areas today.   MODERATE danger exists on steep slopes in both the Alpine and Treeline elevations.   Pockets of wind slabs up to 1′ thick in the Alpine could be triggered in terrain 40 degrees and over.   Loose snow avalanches will be possible on steep slopes.   [Read More]
Fri, March 27th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Wet Loose	Today the avalanche danger is MODERATE both in the Alpine and at Treeline. Triggering a wind slab up to 2′ thick is possible on steep sustained slopes. If the sun comes out today 1-2′ of newly fallen snow will be susceptible to rapid warming and could produce natural wet avalanches on Eastern and Southern slopes. [Read More]
Thu, March 26th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Wet Loose	The avalanche danger in the backcountry will climb to MODERATE as a spring storm enters the advisory area with a change in weather from the past few days.   Above treeline 8-10 € of new snow coupled with 20-40 mph winds from the East will build wind slabs in the 1-2 foot range.   These [Read More]
Wed, March 25th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Persistent Slabs	Today the avalanche danger will start off LOW in the Alpine, but could increase to MODERATE later in the evening as 20-30 mph winds combined with new snow will increase the size of wind slabs. Wind slabs up to 8 € are possible today on steep leeward aspects and if triggered could knock you off [Read More]
Tue, March 24th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Persistent Slabs	A generally LOW avalanche danger exists in the mountains around Turnagain Pass. *Low does not mean no and a few things to keep in mind today are: An increase in Easterly winds may be enough to form shallow fresh wind slabs in isolated areas; this will be easy to see. Hard to see are areas [Read More]
Mon, March 23rd, 2015		Persistent Slabs	Wet Loose	The danger is MODERATE in the Alpine today, where the possibility exists for pockets of slab 2-3′ thick to be triggered on steep slopes.   While the likelihood of triggering is trending towards the low end of the scale, the consequences are high enough to injure or bury a person.   Wet loose avalanches will [Read More]
Sun, March 22nd, 2015		Persistent Slabs	Cornice	The avalanche danger is MODERATE on all aspects near and above treeline (above 2,000′).  Slabs up to 3′ thick resting on weak faceted snow may be triggered by the weight of a person in isolated areas. Additionally, daytime warming and spring-like conditions will increase cornice sensitivity and the potential for wet avalanches late in the [Read More]
Sat, March 21st, 2015		Persistent Slabs	Wet Loose	The danger is MODERATE in the Alpine and upper end of Treeline elevations (>2,000′).   Dense slabs up to 3′ thick could be triggered in steep terrain.   Sun and mild temps will increase the odds of triggering slabs as the day progresses.   Low to medium volume wet loose avalanches (natural and human triggered) [Read More]
Fri, March 20th, 2015		Persistent Slabs	Wind Slabs	The avalanche danger for Turnagain Pass is CONSIDERABLE in the Alpine where triggering a slab 3′ thick will have high consequences. Avoid slope angles steeper than 35 ° and be aware of decision-making traps that may trick you into thinking the conditions are more stable than they are. The avalanche danger is MODERATE at Treeline. [Read More]
Thu, March 19th, 2015		Persistent Slabs	Wind Slabs	There continues to be a CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger at and above treeline today.   Slab avalanches 2′ thick or more are likely and will require cautious route finding and conservative decision-making.   Avoid steep, wind-loaded slopes in the alpine and abrupt rollovers at and below treeline today. The pre Saint Paddy’s day storm was the [Read More]
Wed, March 18th, 2015		Persistent Slabs	Storm Slabs	The avalanche danger for Turnagain Pass is CONSIDERABLE both in the Alpine and at Treeline. Human triggered slab avalanches up to 2′ thick will be likely in steep terrain and remotely triggered avalanches are possible. Careful snow pack evaluation and cautious route finding are essential today. Expect snow conditions to change throughout the day and [Read More]
Tue, March 17th, 2015		Storm Slabs		A CONSIDERABLE avalanche danger exists at all elevations in the backcountry as a quick-hitting storm deposited 2+ feet of new snow yesterday. A CONSIDERABLE danger means human triggered avalanches are likely. In today’s case, these are 2-3′ storm snow slabs that could propagate across entire slopes.  We are all powder starved, but patience is the [Read More]
Mon, March 16th, 2015		Storm Slabs		The avalanche danger will climb to HIGH in the Alpine and CONSIDERABLE at Treeline by the end of the day.   Slabs up to 18″ thick will be very sensitive to human triggers and could release naturally.   Dangerous conditions exist and require advanced travel and snowpack assessment skills.   Avalanches have the potential to [Read More]
Sun, March 15th, 2015		Announcement		The avalanche danger remains LOW  at all elevations in the Turnagain Pass area and surrounding zones. Finding a shallow old wind slab in steep complex terrain or triggering a loose snow sluff on steep slopes remain the only avalanche concerns. This will all change tomorrow as a potent winter storm is moving in! **The National [Read More]
Sat, March 14th, 2015		Normal Caution		The avalanche danger is LOW at the Alpine and Treeline elevations.   Isolated pockets of wind slabs and low to medium volume loose snow avalanches could be triggered in very steep terrain. Low snow cover and icy conditions on the approaches require careful and creative travel today.   Yes, it’s mid March but early season [Read More]
Fri, March 13th, 2015		Normal Caution		The avalanche danger today is LOW both in the Alpine and at Treeline. Isolated pockets of surface snow instabilities are possible in very steep and exposed terrain where consequences of a fall could be high in the wrong place. It is in this terrain where scouting your line and paying attention to surface snow variations [Read More]
Thu, March 12th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Dry Loose	Most terrain in the Turnagain Pass zone has a LOW avalanche danger. If you are headed to the steeps, pockets of MODERATE danger can be found in steep rocky and complex terrain for lingering wind slabs large enough to knock a person off their feet. Additionally, sluffs are becoming larger and faster on slopes over [Read More]
Wed, March 11th, 2015		Wind Slabs		In the Alpine, above 2500′, the avalanche danger is MODERATE where isolated pockets of wind slab 1-2′ thick may be found in steep complex terrain such as steep gullies and convex rollovers. These will be more developed just off the top of ridges on Northern and Eastern aspects. On very steep slopes where snow is [Read More]
Tue, March 10th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Dry Loose	Pockets of MODERATE danger exist in the alpine today for a skier to trigger a wind slab 1-2′ deep on steep, wind-loaded terrain and cross-loaded gullies.   Loose snow avalanches (sluffing) should also be expected and prove manageable if skiing in steeper, wind-sheltered terrain.   Below treeline, the danger is LOW and an avalanche is [Read More]
Mon, March 9th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Dry Loose	The danger is MODERATE on steep wind loaded slopes in the Alpine.   Wind slabs up to 1 foot in depth could be triggered by skiers and riders on a variety of aspects and be large enough to injure or bury a person.   Loose snow avalanches could also be triggered in steep terrain sheltered [Read More]
Sun, March 8th, 2015		Wind Slabs	Dry Loose	There is a MODERATE avalanche danger today in the Turnagain Pass region where 8-10″ of new snow and wind has formed sensitive wind slabs. These slabs are expected to be 8-14″ thick and easy to trigger on slopes over 35 degrees. In areas where the wind has not affected the snow, sluffs should be expected [Read More]
Sat, March 7th, 2015		Storm Slabs	Persistent Slabs	The avalanche danger is generally LOW and will rise to MODERATE in the Alpine late in the day.   Fresh shallow slabs up to 10 € in depth could be triggered on steep leeward slopes.   Low volume sluffing is also possible in steep terrain in the higher elevations today. The danger is LOW in [Read More]
Fri, March 6th, 2015		Persistent Slabs		Much of the terrain in Turnagain Pass has a LOW danger where triggering an avalanche is unlikely. However there are areas in the Alpine, above 2500′, where the avalanche danger is MODERATE and triggering a slab 1-2′ is possible. This will be more likely in steep complex terrain, like on large unsupported slopes, around steep [Read More]