Avalanche: Hatcher Pass

Location: Hatcher Pass- photos from 4/11-13 avy cycle

Date:

April 14, 2023 12:57pm

Observer:

Jed Workman Forecaster

Route & General Observations

Valdez Heli Ski Guides was in the Palmer area today. Our goal today was to heli ski in the northern areas of the Talkeetnas and Northern Chugach and to take aerial photos of recent avalanches along the road system at Hatcher Pass and to share with HPAC and the community. We made a brief flight through the area, captured these photos and then headed north out of the Hatcher Pass area.

Contact, Location & General Observations

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Forecaster Comments

Some of these photos are out of our forecast area, however, they should the magnitude of the recent avalanche cycle.

Avalanche Details

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Trigger	Unknown	Remote Trigger	Unknown
Avalanche Type	Unknown	Aspect	Unknown
Elevation	unknown	Slope Angle	unknown
Crown Depth	unknown	Width	unknown
Vertical Run	unknown

Avalanche Details

A widespread cycle of natural avalanche activity at all elevations and on all aspects was observed from Hatcher Pass through the top of the Kashwitna River. Most of the avalanches appeared to have occurred mid-storm, with new snow obscuring many of the recent crowns and starting zones. Debris piles were easy to identify. Avalanches appear to have failed in the new/old interface as well as deeper into older snow, with some crowns reaching approximately 4 feet deep. We observed avalanches ranging from D2-3. We encountered 2-4 feet of new snow deeper into the range. We observed NO cracking, collapsing, or avalanches and skied non-avalanche terrain.

Photos & Video

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