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Please contact us with your snow and avalanche observations or any questions you have.

alaskasnow.org@gmail.com

907.835.4488

POBox 2988
Valdez, Alaska 99686
11 March 2010    8:00am
PRIMARY CONCERN:    
Natural avalanches are possible, likely off sun warmed slopes. Human triggered avalanches likely.

TRAVEL ADVISORY:    
Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route finding and conservative decision making are essential today. Time is needed for the snowpack to adjust to this storm's influence.

SNOWPACK STABILITY RATING:     
FAIR

SNOWPACK STABILITY TREND:     
Steady
 
AVALANCHE OBSERVATIONS:
Yesterday on a north aspect at Thompson Pass Mile 33 skiers 1000' above the highway triggered a size 3 on the deeply buried persistant surface hoar / facet / crust layer. The crown fracture was 1/2 mile wide and 7 feet deep. The avalanche caught some of the skiers/riders and deposited up to 15' of snow over 1200' of highway. This slope had been shot by DOT Monday.

Large natural and DOT artillery triggered avalanches to size 3.5 Monday-Tuesday. Some paths in the continental and inter-mountain snowpack zones ran larger than they have for a number of decades.

SNOWPACK DISCUSSION:
This storm deposited 80" of new snow at Thompson Pass. On Monday Rendezvous Lodge at Milepost 46 received 30 inches in 24 hours. The storm snow was drifted by strong to extreme (>40mph) east and southeast winds.

There is waist deep new snow across the ranges to the Alyeska Pipeline Pump 12 at Milepost 62.
 
It is suspected most of the large avalanches have run on surface hoar and and near surface facets buried at the beginning of February. Both yesterday's skier triggered avalanche and DOT artillery triggered avalanches near Milepost 30 ran in deeply buried facets.

At lower elevations: under the new snow there is an amalgam of buried crusts with weakness between and beneath them.

WEAK LAYERS TO WATCH:    
1) Weaknesses within the storm snow.
2) Persistent facets and surface hoar now buried deeper than 5 feet.

WEATHER FORECAST:    
Valdez NWS: Cloudy with flurries.

MORE DATA NEEDED TO ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:    
1) What is the strength and distribution of the deeply buried facets and surface hoar?
2) What does it take to trigger the new storm snow/windslabs?



We need your eyeballs.
If you see an avalanche, please email <alaskasnow.org@gmail.com>. Your observations may save a life!

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