Avalanches reported in Turnagain Pass area as avalanche concern is high in part of Southcentral

ANCHORAGE, Alaska (KTUU) – Avalanches have been reported in the Turnagain Pass area as avalanche danger Sunday is high in the that area and considerable in the Summit Lake area, according to the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center.

North American Public Avalanche Danger scale has five levels: low, moderate, considerable, high and extreme.

Andrew Schauer, the center’s lead forecaster, said there were multiple avalanches in Turnagain Pass between Friday and Saturday.

“This included large natural and human-triggered avalanches on the motorized and non-motorized zones at Turnagain Pass. Some avalanches were over 1,000′ wide. One skier was caught and carried in one of these, but luckily nobody was buried or injured. We’re concerned that we’ll see similar activity following this storm,” he said.

He said the snowpack has “multiple, buried weak layers deeper in the snowpack,” which causes a weak foundation for the snow above.

“Right now, it’s stormy, there’s a lot of wind, it’s raining and snowing. And it’s pretty obvious that the avalanche danger is elevated. But what catches people off guard is that, even in the breaks between storms right now, because we have that weak foundation, it’s still going to be dangerous avalanche conditions,” Schauer said Sunday morning.

He said the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Center recommends when the danger is high like it is right now, people stay out of the mountains.

He said it’s tricky when the concern is moderate or considerable, levels two and three on the five-part scale.

“The clues are a lot less subtle. It’s also when the snowpack is a little bit more stubborn. So, a bunch of people can get away with getting into steep avalanche terrain without having anything bad happen. And then, one person just pulls the unlucky card and ends up triggering an avalanche,” he said.

He said that’s when those who choose to be in the field need to rely on assessments of the snowpack in front of you.

“We can give people some clues to where the most dangerous conditions might be. But ultimately, that’s a really hard assessment to make. And so, the one thing that people can always do to avoid avalanche danger is to just avoid those steep slopes and run out zones,” Schauer said.

He said he urges people to check the conditions before going out because they change quickly.

And he recommends anyone who does go into any kind of avalanche terrain in the winter to carry a basic rescue kit with an avalanche beacon, rescue shovel and probe, and that you know how to use them.

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