| Trigger | Natural | Remote Trigger | No |
| Avalanche Type | Hard Slab | Aspect | West |
| Elevation | 3700ft | Slope Angle | 40deg |
| Crown Depth | unknown | Width | 200ft |
| Vertical Run | 1500ft |
Avalanche: Chugach State Park
Location: South Fork of Eagle River
We took the standard up the track to Hunter Pass. Our original plan was to dig two pits- a high-elevation pit and a lower-elevation pit. Because of the strong winds, we decided to stick to lower-angle terrain in more sheltered areas and dug a pit at the Hunter Pass.
Avalanche Details
Drove to the end of Highland Road around ~10:20 am. Did not see any debris at that point and the Hiland road was clear, we continued to the South Fork Valley Trailhead for a field day.
At 2 pm (on our drive home) we noticed a natural avalanche had occurred that deposited several feet of snow onto the Hiland road. We met with several folks in the area. There were no reports of any people, vehicles, or structures impacted. The avalanche crown was blown in by the strong winds and it was difficult to see much of the upper slope. The blocks in the debris were hard and up to the size of a mini fridge, indicating it was a hard slab avalanche. The weak layer is unknown.
During our field day visibility was in and out. It was difficult to see the other side of the valley with the flat light and wind transport. However, if you watch the video, at the beginning, during the panning of the area, the avalanche can be seen in the distance.
We checked the Harp Mountain parking lot and did not see any cars. We were also the only vehicle parked in the parking lot at the South Fork Valley Trailhead.
Obvious signs of instability
| Recent Avalanches? | Yes |
| Collapsing (Whumphing)? | No |
| Cracking (Shooting cracks)? | No |
Observer Comments
Sustained strong winds were coming from the southeast during our field day.
Weather
10:30 am- Overcast, light winds from the southeast, no precip
11:20 am- Broken clouds, moderate winds from the southeast, no precip
1:00 pm- Overcast, strong winds from the southeast and the north, no precip
Snow surface
Below Hunter Pass snow quality was a pretty nice soft powder. At the pass and along the ridge to North Bowl the snow was wind scoured. Sastrugi was visible and a wind crust had formed.
Snowpack
We dug one snowpit at Hunter Pass, info is below:
Location: Hunter Pass
Elevation: 2,867'
Aspect: SE
Slope: 20 degrees
Test results: ECTX (no results showing snowpack instability)
We are still seeing poor structure in the snowpack. The Thanksgiving crust was still present in this location and we were able to find some near-surface facets from the last cold-clear event.
Today illustrated how a snowpit can not be an end-all decision-making tool when traveling in avalanche terrain. While we had no reactive snowpit test results- the major loading event from the wind caused a natural avalanche to be triggered during our field day across the valley from us.
A good reminder that a holistic approach to backcountry travel- looking for red flags, checking weather stations and weather forecasts- useing snowpits to help with the decision-making process are all important.
Also, trust your stomach butterflies! Our original plan was to get a higher elevation pit but felt uncomfortable with the conditions and stuck to low-angle slopes on less exposed ridges. Sometimes you get feedback for those decisions, and sometimes you don't.
Hiland road after the debris was cleared
At the base of the debris pile looking up
Another debris pile photo
Snowpilot
Snowpit
Picture of slide from across the valley