Observation: Turnagain, Girdwood

Location: Road Obs Seward Highway to Turnagian Pass

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

Drove from Girdwood to Turnagain Pass between 5pm and 6:30pm to look for recent natural avalanche activity from the last two days.

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?Yes
Collapsing (Whumphing)?No
Cracking (Shooting cracks)?No
Observer Comments

Turnagain Pass - Seattle Ridge, SE aspect - One recent slab avalanche and evidence of some older slab releasing sometime this week near ridge top. Sunburst - could see an older crown on NW shoulder, around 2300'- this may have occurred last weekend due to how filled in the crown was. Lips, West face - small wind slab
Girdwood - Got a report of a large natural on Penguin, NE aspect into California Cr around 11am. Visibility was too poor in the afternoon to see this.
Sawmill Creek - Across Turnagain Arm from Girdwood Valley - West aspect, 2500' - large slab avalanche
Placer - viz was pretty poor, but light was shining on the peak between Skookum and Portage, West aspect, 1500'- could see a few small steep terrain features with older crowns on them.

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

Overcast with a few places where the sun was poking out along Turnagain Pass and Portage
Temps - low 40F's at sea level, upper 30F's at 1000'
Could see some clouds/snow moving during a brief window along the top of Seattle Ridge
Light rain to at least 2000'

Snow surface

Watched one person ski down Sunburst, and roller balls were seen along their tracks from 2500' down on West Shoulder. Wet snow in the top 1-2" at sea level, with drier snow below this.

Photos & Video
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