Observation: Chugach State Park

Location: Glen Alps Recreation Area

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Toured from parking to up Flattop Summer Trail around Blueberry Knoll to assess conditions and to see how the recent wind is affecting the snowpack.

Red Flags
Red flags are simple visual clues that are a sign of potential avalanche danger. Please record any sign of red flags below.
Obvious signs of instability
Recent Avalanches?No
Collapsing (Whumphing)?No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?Yes
Observer Comments

Shooting cracks were observed on test slopes and rollover features.

Weather & Snow Characteristics
Please provide details to help us determine the weather and snowpack during the time this observation took place.
Weather

Overcast skies
No precip
Moderate winds from the SE gusting to strong

Snow surface

The snow surface was highly wind affected with both scoured and wind loaded areas. Shallow wind slabs up to 12 inches thick were observed on rollover features.

Snowpack

Snow depths ranged greatly on our tour. We observed bare ground (mostly on SE aspects) to over 8 feet (+243cm) in wind-deposited locations.

Location: We dug three pits around Blueberry Knoll.
Elevation: All pits were between 2,300' and 2,500' in elevation.
Aspects: Two of the pits were dug on northern aspects and one pit was on a northwest aspect.
Test Results: We observed propagation (showing poor stability) between the new wind slab and the old snow interface. ECTP6, CT3SP, and PST 30/100 End, roughly 8 inches (20 cm) down from the snow surface.

Photos & Video
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