Turnagain Pass

We did not observe any new avalanches yesterday. We saw widespread loose snow avalanches during the warm spell between Monday and Tuesday, and the last known slab avalanche was a skier-triggered avalanche in the Ohio Creek drainage of Bench Peak on Monday.

Over the past week, we saw a period of very strong outflow winds followed by an extended spell of unusually warm temperatures for this time of year. While that combination hasn’t done much to improve skiing and riding conditions, it has left us with a snowpack that is generally safe. Under most circumstances, the strong outflow winds we are expecting to see continue through today would give us more cause for concern, but at this point there isn’t enough soft snow on the ground to make for a widespread wind slab concern. It is important to remember that we are talking about region-wide patterns here, and even though the snowpack is generally stable, you can still find pockets of snow where a person could trigger an avalanche.

For today avalanches are unlikely, not impossible. Be sure to maintain safe travel protocols by only exposing one person at a time to steep terrain, watching your partners from safe spots out of runout zones, and always carrying a beacon, shovel, and probe. Keep an eye out for isolated wind slabs forming today, and avoid steep terrain if you notice active wind loading.

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We are still concerned with a layer of facets buried 1-2′ deep in the southern corner of our advisory zone between Pete’s North and Johnson Pass. This is the only chunk of terrain where we keep seeing unstable test results and large collapses, and it is where a skier triggered a large avalanche on Monday. The danger may be low over the majority of the forecast zone, but this small area is the exception. Be aware of potentially dangerous conditions in this southern portion of our forecast area, and dial back terrain accordingly if you are trying to get out in this zone.