Haines Avalanche Center
Above 2,500ftModerate
1,500 to 2,500ftModerate
Below 1,500ftModerate
Degrees of Avalanche Danger
Avalanche Problems
Problem 1
Likelihood:
- Almost Certain
- Very Likely
- Likely
- Possible
- Unlikely
Size:
- Historic
- Very Large
- Large
- Small
Trend
- Increasing
- Steady
- Decreasing
Problem 2
Likelihood:
- Almost Certain
- Very Likely
- Likely
- Possible
- Unlikely
Size:
- Historic
- Very Large
- Large
- Small
Trend
- Increasing
- Steady
- Decreasing
Avalanche Activity
Reports from this week are of ample natural wet slides coming down from steep, sun-blasted terrain. These loose-wet and wet-slabs were mostly size D2 and occurring in the early afternoon. There were a few skier-triggered persistent slabs in White Pass, which ran on old facets around 60-90cm deep. This shows that south aspects really woke up during this week’s warm period.
Weather
We received 6-18″ of new snow last week. But Monday-Thursday (Feb. 25-28) was unusually warm. Temperatures spiked up to 46F at 4600ft, and stayed above freezing for 48+hours. Also, the sun has been quite strong each day, and winds light. Thankfully, temperatures are cooling off Friday, and should remain well below freezing for the near-term. No sign of the ridge breaking down until at least 7 days from now.
| Â Snow Depth [in] | Last 24-hr Snow/SWE [in] | Last 5-days Snow/SWE [in]Â | Today’s Freezing Level [ft] | Â Today’s Winds | Next 24-hr Snow/SWE | |
Mount Ripinsky @ treeline |
 60″ | 0″ / 0.00 | 0″ / 0.00 |  0 – 1000 | mod, NW | 0″ / 0.00    * |
Flower Mountain @ treeline |
 41″ | 0″ / 0.00 | 0″ / 0.00 |  0 – 1000 | mod, NW | 0″ / 0.00   * |
Chilkat Pass @ 3,100ft |
 26″ | 0″ / 0.00 | 0″ / 0.00 |  0 – 1000 | mod, NW | 0″ / 0.00  * |
( *star means meteorological estimate )
Additional Information
If you get out riding, please send in an observation!
Do a rescue practice with your partners. Always carry a beacon, shovel, and probe, and KNOW HOW TO USE THEM.
Practice good risk management, which means only expose one person at a time to slopes 30 degrees and steeper, make group communication and unanimous decision making a priority, and choose your terrain wisely: eliminating unnecessary exposure and planning out your safe zones and escape routes.
