Avalanche: Girdwood

Location: Road Observations along Girdwood and Turnagain Pass

Date:
Observer:
Route & General Observations

With a high avalanche danger, rain, wind and snow, CNFAIC staff observed the Gun Missions by the AKDOT and AKRR Avalanche Programs along the Seward Highway as well as took stock of any natural avalanches that could be seen at/near Turnagain Pass.

Avalanche Details
If this is an avalanche observation, click yes below and fill in the form as best as you can. If people were involved, please provide details.
Trigger NaturalRemote Trigger0
Avalanche Type UnknownAspect Southwest
Elevation 1500ftSlope Angleunknown
Crown Depth 24inWidth 500ft
Vertical Run 800ft  
Avalanche Details

Natural Avalanche noted on the lower slopes of Wolverine Ridge on the North end of Turnagain Pass. Photo below.

Several natural avalanches seen today along the Seward Highway. With the low visibility we were limited to looking for new debris in gullies and runouts. A few additional debris piles could be seen in the guts of East face of Seattle Ridge. Also several gullies along the Seward Highway near Turnagain Arm slid to sea level, including the Indicator Path that sits just across the Arm from the Tesoro gas station.

Avalanche reduction work by AKDOT and AKRR pulled out many slabs with impressive powder clouds - debris was wet by the time it reached sea level (due to rain on snow below 1,000'). And active day for avalanches!

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

Recent avalanches seen from the road.

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

Light to moderate rain below 900' and wet snow snow above.
Winds were gusty from the East and North along the road but backed off by the afternoon.
32F on Turnagain Pass

Photos & Video
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