Turnagain Pass

The wind picked up again last night and was strong enough move snow. There was snow available to transport from the Monday night storm and a there is more snow forecasted to fall today. This combination of wind and snow creates the potential for wind slabs in steep, leeward terrain that could be triggered by the weight of a person or a sled. Be on the look out for shooting cracks, hollow feeling or sounding snow and stiff snow over softer snow. Remember a small pocket of wind slab in can be very hazardous in high consequence terrain. Cornices and pillowed slopes will help indicate wind-loaded areas.

The winds and new snow will continue to build already large cornices. Avoid spending time underneath or on them. They tend to break farther back from ridgelines than expected.

Practice safe travel techniques in avalanche terrain: ride one at a time, watch your partners, have an escape route planned, park or stop in safe zones and always consider slope consequences.

Wind-loaded slopes and cornices: Tincan Proper.

Today at Treeline (the 1,000’ – 2,500’ elevation band) on all aspects, pay attention to and avoid glide cracks. These can lead to glide avalanches that are very unpredictable as we have seen over the past few days. There is no discernable pattern to predict a failure as they tend to fail naturally and on their own schedule. Warm temperatures can trigger them and so can cooling temperatures. Cracks can form and release in seconds or days later or sometimes a glide crack won’t release at all. The new snow has made it harder to see the existing cracks and glide releases in the terrain. 

It is best to give glide cracks a wide berth.  Avoid spending time underneath and if skiing or riding in terrain with glide cracks, try and map them out before your travels so as not to end up directly on top of or inside one.  Remember, when these do fail, they tend to be destructive, failing to the ground and bringing the entirety of the snowpack with them. 

Recent glide release on Wolverine.