Backcountry Skiing..Your Winter Window Into The Chugach.
While waiting for the avalanche gates to open at 12-Mile yesterday, I was asked about avalanche ratings and it seems like a good topic as we wait for the clouds to clear. In a previous forecast I had mentioned the likelihood of “D2’s during the current storm cycle. Rating the sizes of recent avalanches takes a keen eye and knowledge […]
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Ventured up Obsession from Worthington Glacier State Park, crossing the road and meandering carefully to mid-mountain. The differences in snow depth from the road to 3500 was “obese”, if that word is allowed to describe the snowpack I encountered. I’ve never probed 240cm at this site. Nearly a third of the depth is new storm snow….and there is more on […]
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Avalanche hazard rating will remain CONSIDERABLE in Thompson Pass through Sunday with the primary hazard being small and large active slides occurring frequently in common zones along the highway corridor as a good indicator. Snow (est 5″ WE in past 48) and wind loading above 5000′, in particularly N/E/W aspects, could produce some climax slides (D3) There is a high […]
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Effective 12/29-1500 through 12-31-0600. Models and NWS discussion forecasts are aligned for a CONSIDERABLE AVALANCHE HAZARD to develop Tuesday night with the second of two lows bringing an abundance of precipitation as snow at higher elevations and rain at lower elevations. Of particular concern Wednesday morning is a rapid rise in SE winds to near 70 along higher elevations along with […]
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SKI/AVALANCHE – With Thompson Pass recovering from winds to 50mph and temps to -7F, obviously stability issues have developed over the past few days. Snowpack retention remains excellent with very little scouring of our deep upper mountain snowpack. Mid-mountain protected areas of course will hold some patches of powder but expect some slab issues to assess. Today seemed like a […]
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Looking through my archives today prior to a skate session on the nicely groomed Mineral Creek trails, I found this gem from the Winter of 85/86 and recall attending the free class. This article helps bring some context to the history of local avalanche awareness and education. Of course Doug Fesler is a mentor to many Alaskans and others who […]
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SKI – EXCELLENT – Knee deep powder on all aspects and elevations in Thompson Pass with some surface imperfections above 3500, but deeper powder than roadside. AVY – GOOD stability abounds and no recent activity. Skinned through 18″ powder on a hard base soloing Schoolbus to mid-mountain, then the hard base disappears with some soft, minor surface slabs and drifting […]
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