The snow is generally stable and the avalanche danger is LOW.
It’s hard to believe it is mid-April with the amount of snow left in the pass.
Looking forward: Pay attention to rapidly changing springtime conditions.
As spring progresses and the temperature warms up, expect avalanche danger to change. Once it ceases to freeze at night for approximately 3 nights in a row, pay attention to and keep a lookout for wet avalanche problems. We don’t anticipate this happening until May, but it is on our radar.
No matter the avalanche danger its always a good idea to follow safe travel protocol:
- Make a plan.
- Ski/ride one at a time.
- Carry and know how to use your rescue equipment.
4/15 Lots of snow left on Marmot Mountain
4/15 An abundant amount of snow still exists on the Willow side of Hatcher with great riding!
7 feet of snow still exists at the Hatcher Pass lodge snow stake as of 4/15.
It’s been a historical snow year for Hatcher Pass. graph courtesy of NRCS
graph courtesy of NRCS
Avalanche concerns in the spring can become complicated. Four concerns to be aware of include:
1.Loose Wet Avalanches- Loose wet avalanches are typically the first avalanches we see as the snowpack warms up. They can be triggered by snow heating up especially near rocks and cliffs on steep slopes. While they are relatively small and manageable on their own, they can be dangerous if they pick up enough volume, or if they push you into terrain traps. They can also trigger larger slab avalanches as they travel downhill. They are typically preceded by rollerballs or pinwheels rolling down slopes as they heat up. This in an easily avoidable avalanche problem.
2. Wet Slabs –
Wet slab avalanches occur when meltwater from rain or warm temperatures percolate down through the snowpack and weaken the bonds (strength) of a buried weak layer. These avalanches can be human-triggered, but also occur naturally, including triggering from a small, wet-loose avalanche or cornice fall. Colder temperatures should lock up the snowpack this morning, but strong sunshine today could provide enough warming to trigger isolated wet slabs. These could occur on any aspect facing west, south, through east, as well as northerly aspects at any elevation.
3. Glide Avalanches – A separate but related avalanche problem is
glide avalanches. When they happen is mostly
unpredictable, however,
where they happen is generally
predictable because there is often a huge crack in the snowpack. Common places to find glide avalanches are places with rock slabs or a smooth ground surface which are common in much of the terrain at Hatcher Pass.
Simply avoid being under these places or any slope with a visible glide crack.
4. Cornices – Cornices in some places are massive, and they can break off naturally, especially during warm weather when they start bending downhill. Simply avoid being underneath or near the tops of large cornices as they break farther back than expected.
The Bottom Line
Special Announcements
