Avalanche: Chugach State Park

Location: Hiland Road, South Fork

Date:

March 17, 2018 9:00

Observer:

Brad Meiklejohn

Route & General Observations

Numerous large full-depth naturals observed this morning (3/16/18), the largest 1,500′ wide, 2-3′ deep, running 1,500′. These slides are running to the ground, taking out the entire season snowpack.

Forecaster comment: UPDATED 3/17/18 – Several more avalanches released naturally and were observed on the morning of 3/17/18. See the last photo added after initial post. 8 avalanches total have been observed from observers house.

Avalanche Details

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Trigger	Natural	Remote Trigger	0
Avalanche Type	Soft Slab	Aspect	North Northeast
Elevation	3500ft	Slope Angle	35deg
Crown Depth	24in	Width	2000ft
Vertical Run	2000ft

Red Flags

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Obvious signs of instability

Recent Avalanches?	Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?	Yes
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?	Yes

Weather & Snow Characteristics

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Weather

Strong southeast winds overnight crossloaded many slopes in the Hiland Road area.

Photos & Video

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South Fork Eagle River recent avalanches obseverd on 3/16/18

New natural avalanches as of 9am 3/17/18

Location

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