ChugachNationalForestAvalancheInformationCenter

2015-2016AnnualReport

Photo:JaredGrosscapturestrackswithcracksonCornbiscuitRidge,TurnagainPass,Alaska

ChugachNationalForestAvalancheInformationCentercnfaic.orgP.O.Box129Girdwood,AK99587 Phone:(907)783-3242

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TableofContents

MessagefromtheDirector………………………………………………..………………………..3

Acknowledgements……………………………………………………………………..……………...4

AdvisoriesandStats……………….………………………………………………..…………….……5

PublicOutreach.……………………………………………………………………………..……........6

Partnerships………….………………………………………………………………………..……......11

SnowpackandWeatherSummary………..……………………………………..……..…….13

NearMissesandFatalities…….…………………………………………………………….....…22

FinancesandFundraising-TheFriendsoftheCNFAIC……………………….……...25

Photo:GrahamPredeger

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MessagefromtheDirectorThisseasonwillwrapupmy6thyearattheChugachNationalForestAvalancheInformation

Center(CNFAIC).DuringthistimeI’velearnedthateachyearisdifferent.Notjustalittledifferentbutapplesandorangesdifferent.Sowhat’sthisyear’stheme?‘TheYearoftheGlides’.Wewereblessedwith176%ofnormalprecipitation,mildtemperatures(yetcoldenoughforsnowat1,000’)andgenerallyaverysolidsnowpack.Thisisallgoodnewsexceptforthefactthattheentirepackwantedtooozedownthemountainsides.Glidecracksandsubsequentreleaseslitteredslopeseverywhere.ThisisnotunusualforTurnagainPass,butforittolasttheentirewinteris.Manypopularareaswere‘offlimits’–again,thewholeyear-duetoloomingglidecracks.Publicmessagingcertainlybecameachallengeandchronicmessagefatigueensued.Todatewehavehadover100documentedglidereleasesinourforecastzone. OperationsattheCNFAICaresteadilygrowing.WehadonestaffchangeasJohn‘Fitz’FitzgeraldmovedonfromtheCenter.Thoughheisverysorelymissed,wewereexcitedtohireAlephJohnston-Bloominhisplace.AlephcametotheCenterwithover15yearsofprofessionalexperienceworkingasanavalancheeducator,backcountryforecaster,DOTforecasterandskipatroller.Otherchangesforthecenterwereinthestructure.AfteryearsofhardworkbytheFriendsoftheCNFAICandtheForestService,theCNFAICwasabletocreateandfundaGS-9PermanentseasonalAvalancheCenterDirector.Thisisthefirstpermanentpositionsolelydedicatedtotheavalanchecenterandassistswithmeetingalong-termgoalofsustainabilitywithintheCNFAIC.Iamhumbledandhonoredtohavebeenselectedforthisposition. Otherhighlightsincludethere-installationoftheBeadedStreamsnowtemperaturearray.ThroughagenerouspartnershipwithBeadedStreamandKCI,wehavea‘TincanSnowStudyPlot’,whichmeasuressnowdepthandsnowtemperaturethroughoutthesnowpack.Lastly,IamproudthatwecontinuetogrowrelationshipswithallusergroupsontheForest.Whilemaintainingsteadygrowthinoutreachingtohumanpoweredsports,wehavealsoreachedouttohundredsofbackcountrysnowmachinersthisseason.Ourpubliceventsfocusonfreeawarenesstalksandfield-basedrescueworkshops.Publicdemandforthesehasturnedouttoexceedourresources–andexpectations–whichisveryinspiring!Nowit’stimeforsomewarmweatherbeforewefindoutwhatnextyear’savalancheseasonwillbring.

-WendyWagner,CNFAICDirector

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AcknowledgementsWewouldliketosendoutaHUGETHANKYOUtoallofyouwhohavesupportedtheCNFAICthroughdonations,observationsandawidevarietyofothermeans.Thisisthefoundationwecontinuetobuildupon.WewouldalsoliketothanktheFriendsoftheCNFAIC.WewouldNOTbeherewithouttheirtime,supportandhardwork!ThisamazingandselflessgrouphasatirelesspassionfortheworkwedoattheCNFAICandpromotingacultureofbackcountrysafetyacrossusergroups.

Lastbutfarfromleast,wewouldliketothankthefollowingforsharingvaluableavalancheinformationthathelpstoimproveourforecasts:

-AlyeskaSkiPatrolandSnowSafety-AlaskaDOT&PF-ChugachPowderGuides-AlaskaRailroad-AlaskaAvalancheSchool-AlaskaPacificUniversity-Individualswhosubmittedsnowpack,weatherandavalancheobservationsthroughourwebsiteIndustryandIndividualsponsorshipsarealsoinstrumentalinprovidingCNFAICproductsandprograms.ThefollowingareourGoldLevelSponsors:

GoldLevelSponsors

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AdvisoriesandStatsThisseasonstartedwithintermittentupdatesduringNovemberuntilourfirstofficialadvisorywasissuedonThanksgivingDay.Thanksgivingalsomarkedthestartofdailyadvisories,whichlastedthroughApril17th.Forthelasttwoweeksoftheseasonwepostedadvisories4days/weekwithafinaladvisoryonApril30th.TheSummitLakeWeeklySummarycontinuedthisseasonwithsnowandavalancheinformationfortheSummitLake(KenaiMountains)area.ThisproductwaspostedonSaturdaymorningsstartinginearlyDecemberandrunningthroughmidApril.AdvisoriesTurnagain:160(withdangerratings,doesnotincludeearlyseasonupdates)SummitWeeklySummaries:31WebsiteTotalvisitsNov-Apr:328,181UniquevisitorsNov-Apr:76,909

*compareto2014/2015websitestats:TotalVisits:318,274Uniquevisitors:81,524

OfficialWarningsAvalancheWarnings:2 SpecialAvalancheBulletins:1

ObservationsTotal:445ChugachNF:347HatcherPass:71OutsideAdv.Area:25Public:212Pro:43(notincludingCNFAICstaff)CNFAIC:193

*comparetolast2years:2014/152013/14Total:320265Public:77104Pro:6019CNFAIC:192142

InstagramTotalPosts:175Followers:2240

*compareto2014/15TotalPosts:71Followers:938

YouTubeVideos:27Views:6,724OutreachTotalpeoplereached:1,783 Youthfocusedoutreach:2RescueWorkshops:311(8workshops) Youthreached:60TraditionalMediaAppearancesTV-oncamera:5Radio–17 Print/Onlinenews:15

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PublicOutreachSouthcentralAlaskaAvalancheWorkshop(SAAW)

OnNovember6thCNFAIChostedthe3rdAnnualSouthcentralAlaskaAvalancheWorkshop(SAAW)inpartnershipwithAlaskaPacificUniversity.ThisworkshophasbeenawelcomedsuccessbytheprofessionalavalanchecommunityinAlaskaasanopportunitytonetworkandlistentotalksoncurrentresearch,casestudies,andpertinentindustryissues.SAAW’saudienceiscomposedoflocalagencyforecasters,skiguides,skipatrollers,andavalancheeducators.Wealsohaveanassortmentofrecreationalistsandactivecommunitymemberswhoparticipateyearly.ThefinancialsupportfromtheAmericanAvalancheAssociationProfessionalDevelopmentGrantmakesitpossibletopayforanoutsidepresentereachyear.ThisyearJordyHendrix,aProfessorfromMontanaStateUniversity,presentedontwotopics:DebunkingClimateChangeMythsandhisresearchonSled/SkiTracksasanExpressionofRisk.

Photos:SeanJohnson

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AwarenessandRescueWorkshopHighlights:ThisyearCNFAICadoptedtheKnowBeforeYouGoprogramasthecorecurriculumforouravalancheawarenesstalks.Thisprogramhighlightsfiveimportanttopicsthateverybackcountryuserneedsbeforetheytravelinthemountains;GettheGear,GettheTraining,GettheForecast,GetthePicture,andGetOutofHarmsWay.The5GetscombinedwithanewKBYG15minutemoviewereusedtoreach100’sofskiers,riders,andsnowmachinersthisseason.Wewerealsoabletohost8separatefield-basedrescueworkshops.MostofthesewereheldinTurnagainPass,withtheexceptionofoneinHatcherPass.TheHatcherPassworkshopwasheldincollaborationwithHatcherPassAvalancheCenter,HatcherPassSnowRidersClubandAlaskaAvalancheSchoolandfollowedanunfortunatestringof3avalanchefatalitiesinthearea.

LifeMed(AirAmbulance)approachedusthisspringtogiveanavalancheawarenesstalkfortheirmedicsandpilots,whooccasionallyrespondtoaccidentsinavalancheterrain.Inadditiontotheawarenesstalk,CNFAICforecastersalsoparticipatedinalandingzone(LZ)traininginTurnagainPassanddiscussedsafeLZ’s,communication,companionrescueandexposuretoavalanchehazards.Weplantobuildonthisrelationshipandhopetoinvolveotheragenciesforfuturetraining.

Heather Thamm uses a volunteer to demonstrate an avalanche airbag, Blue & Gold Boardshop

Graham Predeger leads a ‘safety meeting luncheon’ at Exxon HQ

Aleph Johnston-Bloom presents an avalanche awareness talk at REI in

Anchorage

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PublicOutreachandEducationEvents

Date Location Outreach Type

Presenter People Present

Predominant audience

10/14/2015

Blue & Gold Boardshop CNFAIC products/ website

Graham 60 Skiers/ mixed

10/16 - 17/2015 AMDS AMDS Open House Event

Graham 100 Snowmachine

11/1/2015 REI VIP night Wendy 100 Skiers

11/6/2015 APU Southcentral Alaska Snow and Avalanche Workshop

Wendy, Graham, Heather 120 Professionals

11/17/2015 Radio KWHL Radio Show Wendy

Thousands mixed

11/17/2015 REI Basic Avalanche Awareness Talk

Wendy 55 Skiers/ mixed

11/18/2015 IBEW Hall Anchorage Snowmobile Club basic awareness

Graham 50 Snowmachine

12/2/2015 Exxon HQ Basic Avalanche Awareness Talk

Graham 50 Mixed

12/2/2015 Blue &Gold Boardshop Fireside Chat (Terrain)

Heather 75 Skiers/ mixed

12/5/2015 AAS AAS Staff training Wendy 20 Professionals

12/10/2015 AAS Fireside Chat (Rescue) Heather 35 Skiers/ mixed

12/12/2015 Juneau SESAW Wendy 250 Professionals

12/12/2015 Seward Basic Avalanche Awareness Talk

Alex 12 Skiers/ mixed

12/17/2015 Girdwood Fireside Chat (Human Factors) Aleph 25 Skiers/ mixed

12/19/2015 Turnagain Ax Rescue Workshop

Wendy, Graham, Aleph 30 Skiers/ mixed

1/7/2016 AAS Fireside Chat (Snowpack and Weather)

Wendy 36 Skiers/ mixed

12/12/2015 Girdwood Backcountry Babes Heather 10 Skiers

12/19/2015 Girdwood Backcountry Babes Aleph 10 Skiers

1/9/2016 Turnagain Ax Rescue Workshop

Wendy, Heather, Aleph 30 Mixed

1/19/2016 REI KBYG Heather 25 Mixed

1/22/2016 Turnagain Ax Rescue Workshop

Graham, Ryan, Wendy, Heather, Aleph 25 Snowmachine

1/23/2016 Turnagain Ax Rescue Workshop (SheJumps)

Heather, Aleph, Brooke E. 12 Mixed - Ladies

1/23/2016 Girdwood Level 2 - AAS Wendy 18 Skiers

1/25/2016 Blue & Gold Boardshop KBYG

Heather 50 Mixed

2/2/2016 REI KBYG Aleph 50 Mixed

2/6/2016 Turnagain Rescue Workshop (ASS)

Wendy, Aleph, Graham 14 Snowmachine

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PublicOutreachandEducationEvents(Continued…)

Date Location Outreach Type

Presenter People Present

Predominant audience

2/13/2016 Hatcher Ax Rescue Workshop

Wendy, Aleph 70 Mixed

2/14/2016 Girdwood Backcountry Babes Aleph 18 women skiers

2/17/2016 Palmer KBYG/Awareness Aleph 60 mixed

2/20/2016 Girdwood Level 2 -AAS Aleph 18 skiers

2/20/2016 Girdwood Level 2 -B.Babes Heather 6 Mixed-women

2/20/2016 Anchorage Iron Dog Start

Graham, Wendy 100 Snowmachine

2/24/2016 Girdwood Girl Scouts Heather 18 girls and moms

2/26/2016 Girdwood Mount Training School Heather 8 skiers

3/2/2016 Anchorage REI Wendy 18 mixed

3/2/2016 Seward KBYG Alex 12 mixed

3/9/2016 Anchorage NPS, Ax Awareness Wendy 13 mixed

3/10/2016 Girdwood KBYG/Awareness Heather 20 Skiers

3/11/2016 Girdwood APU Snow Science 1 Aleph 10 Skiers

3/12/2016 Turnagain Ax Rescue workshop

Graham, Heather, Aleph 30 Mixed

3/25/2016 Anchorage Life Med Awareness Talk Aleph 20

Medics/Field personnel

4/5 to 4/9 Hoodoo Mtns Arctic Man

Wendy, Aleph 100 Snowmachiners

10/15 – 4/15 Anchorage AMDS weekly radio show Graham, Wendy Thousands Mixed

TOTAL NUMBER OF INDIVIDUALS REACHED FACE TO FACE: 1,783

Aleph Johnston-Bloom introduces a rescue workshop, Turnagian Pass

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ArcticMan2016

ContinuingOutreachtotheSnowmachineCommunityForthefifthseasoninarow,theCNFAICprovidedavalancheoutreachattheworld-renownArcticManSkiandSnoGoClassic.AuniquelyAlaskanevent,ArcticManconsistsofteamsoftwo(skier/snowmachiner)racingheadtoheadovera5-milecourse.ThisspectatoreventnorthofPaxson,AlaskaintheHoodooMountainsattracts10-15,000(mostly)snowmachinersannuallyforaweekinApril.ForecastersWendyWagnerandAlephJohnston-Bloom,withthehelpofDanKeeler(FSemployee)andinpartnershipwiththeAlaskaAvalancheInformationCenter(AAIC)organizedtwofield-basedrescueworkshops.Inaddition,overthecourseofthreedays,weheldpracticesessionsatthewirelessbeaconparkthatwesetupdirectlyadjacenttocamp.This“Easy-Searcher”wasgenerouslyloanedtousbytheAlaskaAvalancheSchoolandtheAlaskaMountainRescueGroup.AAICstaffprovidedadailyavalancheadvisoryfortheeventandstafffromboththeAAICandtheCNFAICwereavailabletoansweravalancherelatedquestionstoanyonestoppingbythe“AvalancheOutpost.”WagnerandJohnston-Bloomwereinvitedto“fore-run”thecoursejustpriortotherace.Theyseizedtheopportunitytodosoinfullavalancherescuegearinanefforttoincreaseawarenessinfrontofaverylargespectatorcrowd!Thiseventcontinuestobeuniqueopportunitytoconnectwiththesnowmachinecommunity,buildamulti-agencypartnershipAlaskaStateTroopersandcollaboratewiththeAlaskaAvalancheInformationCenter.Unfortunatelythisyeartheeventwasbookendedbytragedywithtwosnowmachineravalanchefatalitiesintheterrainadjacenttotheeventvenue.Thesnowpackwasveryunstableinthiszoneandtheseaccidentsemphasizedtheneedforcontinuedoutreacheffortswithinthemotorizedcommunity.

ArcticManrescueworkshopparticipantsgatherforaquickcompanionrescuedemonstration.

Photos:DanKeeler

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PartnershipsTheCNFAICreliesheavilyonitsvastarrayofpartners,bothwithintheprofessionalavalanchecommunityandout.Localpartnersinclude:ADOT&PF,AKRR,AlyeskaSnowSafety,CPG,AlaskaAvalancheSchool,HatcherPassAvalancheCenter,APUandtheNationalWeatherService.WearefortunatetohavebeentherecipientofabrandnewSkiDoo800SPSummitsnowmachinethroughthe‘BRPloanerprogram’forfouryearsrunning.ThisprogramisfacilitatedbyAlaskaMiningandDivingSupplyandisessentialtoourMissionofprovidinginformationtoallusergroups.

CNFAIC, ADOT&PF and Alyeska forecaters

talk weather at the NWS office in

Anchorage

ADOT&PF, CPG and other avalanche pros

joined in CNFAIC weekly stability meetings

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TincanStudyPlot-BeadedStreamandKCI

DuringthesummerandfallBeadedStreamandKastelerConsulting,Inc.workedwiththeCNFAICtoinstallandmaintainasnowtemperaturearrayandsnowdepthsensoronTincanRidgeintheheartofTurnagainPass.ThisequipmentbroughtMUCHNEEDEDsnowfallanddepthinformationtoforecastersintheearlymorninghourswhenothersensorsweredown-amongstmanyotherbenefits!

KCI employees work hard installing the BeadedStream

temperature array

The Tincan Snow Study Plot – as of May 1st there is 325cm of snow (over 10’)!!

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SnowpackandWeatherSummarySeasonalSnow=446”SeasonalSWE=53.9”SeasonalH2O=67.1”*DatafromtheTurnagainPassSNOTELonCenterRidge(1880’)AttackofElNino?Maybe?The2015/16-winterseasonwas,likethepasttwoseasons,characterizedbyaboveaveragetemperaturesbutincontrasttothepriorwinters,therewasaboveaverageprecipitationintheadvisoryarea.AverypersistentSoutherlyflowdrivenbylow-pressuresystemsintheGulfofAlaskadictatedthepattern.Temperatureswerejustcoldenoughforsnowtotheroadelevation(1000’)thatTurnagainPassopenedtosnowmachiningonDecember13thandstayedopenuntilApril22nd.Snowtosealevelhappenedonafewoccasionsbutsadlywasfollowedbyrain.TherewasoneminorcoldsnapinearlyDecemberbutafterthatthetemperaturestayedaboveaverage.Clearsunnydayswereararetreatinbetweenstormsasmostofthewinterwasdominatedbythiswarm,wetandwindyweather.Althoughover65”ofprecipitationwasrecordedattheTurnagainPassSNOTEL,therewasonly53”ofSWE(snowwaterequivalent),pointingtoaplethoraofraineventsandbringingtheprecipitationtotalto176%ofnormalatonepoint.Thismarkedthewettestsnowpackourregionhasseensince2001.Theregionsawsomeverylargenaturalavalanchecyclesassociatedwithmajorstormsbuthumantriggeringintheadvisoryareawasminimal.Themajorheadlineandcommonthemethiswintercenteredaroundanunusuallylongandactiveglideavalanchecycle(seeGlidesection).

Typicalweatherpatternoftheyear–warmSoutherlyflow.

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NovemberMonthlysnow=49”,MonthlyH2O=7.8”

Novemberstartedwith4”ofsnowontheground.Overthefirsttwoweeksthesnowpackgrewwithaseriesofsmallstormsthatdepositedafewinchesatatime.Temperaturesdroppedinthemiddleofthemonthandtheshallowsnowpackbegantofacet.Glidecracksstartedappearinginthemid-elevationterrainwiththefirstrecordedglideavalancheonNovember7thonEddiesRidge.Onthe19th,theregionreceivedanadditional5inchesofsnowandmoderatewinds.OnNovember20thahumantriggeredavalanchewasreportedonTenderfootRidgeas“windslaboverfacets”.Thefollowingday,othereagerskiers/boarderssetoffanumberofsmallwindslabsonTincan.Afteraquietweek,thefirstmajorstormofthewinterhittheareaonThanksgivingdaywith4inchesofSWEover4daysand100mphwinds.ThecenterissuedthefirstadvisoryoftheseasononNovember26th,withaHIGHdangerrating.Unfortunatelythemiddleofthisstormsawarainlinethatcreptupto2500’.Afterasolidfreeze,this(ourfirstdefinitivemarker)becameknowastheThanksgivingRainCrust(TRC).Duringthestormtheregionexperiencedthefirstsignificantnaturalcyclewithwidespreadstormslabavalanchesonallaspects.TemperaturescooledoffattheendofNovemberwithafewinchesofcoldsnowfallingtoendthemonth.

Photo:RunnelsfromtheThanksgivingrainevent.

TedGrosgebauer

“It'spossibletoski/boardfromtheparkinglots,canyoubelieveit?A

luxuryafterlastyear!”

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DecemberMonthlysnow=122”,MonthlyH2O=11.4”

Decemberstartedoffclearandcold.NearsurfacefacetingoccurredinthefewinchesofsnowthatfellovertheTRC.Additionally,therewassurfacehoarformationduringthisfirstweekinDecember.Thiswasfollowedbyastormthatbroughtenoughsnow(over2’)toopenTurnagainPassandotherareasontheChugachNationalForesttosnowmachiningonDecember13th.Oneremotesnowmachine-triggeredavalanchewasreportedonopeningweekendbuthundredsofexcitedridersutilizedthePasswithoutincident.Stormyweatherbroughtincrementalloadingthataddedenoughsnowtoproduceafewverylargenaturalavalanchesthatranontheburiedsurfacehoar/facetsovertheTRCset-up.ThisincludedalargeavalancheinSuperbowlandaverylargeavalancheonSilvertip(Photos).ChristmasEveusheredinaverywarmandwetstormthatdepositedover50”ofsnow(6.4”SWE)and100+mphwinds.Thisstorm,anditssubsequentlargeavalanchecycle,continuedintotheNewYearendingonJanuary4th.

LargenaturalavalancheonSilvertip.Photo:HeatherThamm

“CNFAICforecastersareelatedtobeableto

utilizesnowmachinesagainasaforecastingtool

afterlastwinters‘snowdrought’attrailhead

locations.”

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JanuaryMonthlysnow=96”,MonthlyH2O=13.7”TheHolidaystormragedonintothefirstweekofJanuaryendingwithstormtotalsofover10’ofsnowand10”SWE.Throughoutthestormtherewasawidespreadnaturalavalanchecycle.Afterthecloudspartedlargecornicesloomedabovetheleewardterrainandmultipleglidecracksstartedappearingintheadvisoryarea.EarlyJanuarymarkedthebeginningofglideactivityinpopularrecreationareasthatwouldremainthethemefortherestoftheseason.DuringthestormonJanuary2nd,asnowboardertriggereda3’deepsoftslabonTenderfootRidgewhileascending.Alayerofburiedsurfacehoarprovedtheculprit(seetheSummitsectionandtheNearMisssectionformoreinformation).Themiddleofthemonthsawspikesinglideavalancheactivityinbetweenstormdays.EarlyinthemorningonJanuary24th,a7.1earthquake(epicenterwas172mileswestofGirdwood)feltbyeveryoneintheregionactedtofurtheropenseveralglidecracksintheareabutfailedtocauseanyavalanchesofnote.Thelastweekwasmarkedwithverywetandstormyweatherlendingtoasignificantnaturalavalanchecycle.Aftertheskiesclearedandfolkswereoutenjoyinggenerallystableconditionsthroughouttheadvisoryarea,therewasalargecornicetriggeredslideonLippsandaverylarge(snowmachine)triggeredavalancheinGroundhogCreekthatranonburiedsurfacehoar(SeeNearMissSection).

Largenaturalcornicefallwithslabtriggeredbelow.Photo:HeatherThamm

“Knowingwhenorevenwhetheraglidecrack

willavalancheislikeaskingisthereLifeonMars?”

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FebruaryMonthlysnow=121”,MonthlyH2O=19.2”ThefirsttwoweeksofFebruarysawmostlycloudyskiesandsnow/rainalmosteverydaywithasignificantnaturalavalanchecycleonthe13th.Whenthesuncameoutonthe15ththereweretwoseparatehumantriggeredavalanchesinGoldpan(seeNearMisssection).Glideavalancheactivitypickedupagainduringthebreakbetweenstormsmid-month.OnFebruary20ththerewasafastmovingstormthatdroppedover4inchesofSWEin30hrs.Thiswasthestartofa10daystormthatbroughtover10’ofsnow(11.3”SWE).Thislate-Februarystormwasmarkedbytwoseparate,yetmajornaturalavalanchecyclesthatwrappeduponFebruary29th(Leapday).

RWIScamerapointedattheTurnagainPasssnowstake.Notethesub16-hourrapidloadingeventfrom(2:42pm–6:11am)

“Itwasquiteadayinthemountainsyesterdayasafastmovingstormrolledthrough.A"mini-snow-

pocalypse"ofsortsthatdroppedseveralfeetofsnow

in~30hours!!Thiswasatextbook'rapidloading'

eventanditisnosurprisethatwidespreadandlarge

avalancheactivityresultedacrosstheregion.”

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MarchMonthlysnow=40”,MonthlyH2O=7.7”Aftertheintenselate-Februarystormstabilized,skiersandsnowmachinersweretakingfulladvantageofsunnydaysandincreasingdaylightto“getafterit”!ThereweretracksandtracksandmoretrackslitteringpopularzonesacrossTurnagainPass.Theglideavalancheactivityrampedupagainbuttherestofthesnowpackwasgenerallystablewiththeexceptionofafewhumantriggeredwindslabsmid-month.Astormonthe19thbroughtthesnowlinebacktosealevelandthephrases“Utahpowderday”or“bestpowderdayoftheseason”werethrownaround.Stayingtruetothepatternthiswinter,theverynextdaysawawarm-upandrainto2000.’Therainyweekbroughtaboutmultipledaysofwetlooseavalancheactivity.Thismarkedthestartofanincreaseinglideavalancheactivitywithglideavalanchesbeingobservednearlyeverydayuntiltheendoftheforecastingseason(April30th).

SkitrackswithglidecracksandglideavalanchesonCornbiscuitRidgeintheheartofTurnagainPass.

Photo:JaredGross

“Ifyou’readailyreaderofthisadvisoryyou’llnoticethisisthe61

stdayinarowwherewe’vemade

mentionofglideavalanches,unfortunatelythereisno

endinsight.It’sbeenanunusualseasoninthis

respectandastheold-timerssay;unusualconditions

breedunusualavalanches.”

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AprilMonthlysnow=18”,MonthlyH2O=17.3”Glides….Andglides….Andmoreglides…TheglideavalancheactivityinAprilwasevenmorepronouncedthanthemonthsprior.ItessentiallyshutdownthepossibilityofsafelytravellingonSeattleRidgeandcausedabrown“shedcycle”inthe1000’-2500’elevationband.April,liketherestoftheseasonwasmostlycloudyandtemperaturesstayedaboveaverage.Thesnowpackbelow2500’becamegenerallysaturatedandunsupportable.TherewereafewsmallstormsthatbroughtapowderrefreshtotheAlpineandafewnightsthatsawasolidfreezewithqualitycornskiingthefollowingday.Wetstormspersistedthroughtheendofthemonthwithfrequentwet-looseavalancheactivitybelow2500’.Afewcornicesreleasedtowardtheendofthemonthbutthemajorityoftheseason’sbehemothsarestillhangingonasthisreportgoestopress.Lingeringquestionsastheforecastingseasoncomestoanendareasfollows:Willweseeamajor“shedcycle”inthealpine(above2,500’?)Ifso,thenwhen?Willweseecatastrophiccornicefailureorwillthesejustoozeawayintosummer?Willwewitnessaglideavalanchecycleathigherelevations?

RepeatOffenderslidepathonSeattleRidgeharboredamultitudeofglidecracksandavalanches.A

completemessonthemostpopularmotorizedzoneintheregion.Photos:HeatherThamm

“Duetothedangerousanddestructivepowerofevena

smallglideavalanche,wearerecommendingthat

peopledonottravelinavalancheterrain(including

runoutzones)onthemotorizedsideofTurnagainPass

(WestSide).”

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SummitLake:ThewinterdescribedabovewassimilarinSummitLakebutwithlessoverallprecipitationandmorepersistentweaklayers.Therewere5distinctsurfacehoarlayersdepositedandsubsequentlyburied.OneofthesewasthecauseofaNearMissinJanuary.ThepresenceoftheselayersremainedacauseforconcernwellintoFebruary.Summitalsosawmorerecreationinyearspast,likelyduetomorefavorableweatherconditionsforskiingandsnowmachining.

SurfacehoarintheSummitLakezone.

Photo:AlephJohnston-Bloom

GlideandwetlooseavalanchesintheSummitLakeregion.PhotobyAlex

McLain

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THE2015/16THESEASONOFGLIDEAVALANCHESGlidecracksandglideavalanchesarenotuncommoninthissnowclimatebutthemagnitudeandfrequencyofthiswinterhadnotbeenrememberedorrecordedbytheoldguardofAlaskasnowandavalancheprofessionals.InNovember,whenafewcracksappearedandglideavalanchesoccurred,itseemedlikebusinessasusualbutwhenmultiplecracksstartedappearingandthenavalanchingaftertheholidaystormwetooknote.StartingonJanuary7thglidecracksandglideavalancheswerementionedeverydayintheadvisoryuntilApril30th.Glideavalanchesstolethelimelightasour‘Primaryconcern’on44days(38%)betweenJanuary7thandApril30th.Thismadeforanelevatedhazardinthe1000’-2500’elevationbandandeffectivelydestroyedthesnowpackonSeattleRidgebymid-April.Glidecracksreleasedonstormdays(snowand/orrain),sunnydayswithcoolertemperatures,andsunnydayswithwarmtemperatures,duringthedayandnightandonallaspects.Havingglideavalanchesinpopularrecreationterrainwasachallengeasmanyofthesewereonthelargetoverylargeendofthescale,provingverydestructive.Therewasnothingpredictableaboutglidesexceptthattheywereunpredictable.Mostwererelegatedtothe1,000–2,500’elevationbandbuteventhatwasn’tagivenaswesawsomecracksformingabove3,000’.Afterover100daysofglidecracks/avalanchesinouradvisorydiscussions,weworryaboutmessagefatiguewithourreaders.Thishaspromptedinterestinfurtherinsightandresearchandwillnodoubtbeaseasontoremember.

CracksandTracksonTincanRidge,TurnagainPass.Photo:HeatherThamm

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NearMissesandFatalitiesTheChugachNationalForestisonceagainfortunatetoreportzeroavalanchefatalitiesforthe2015/16-winterseason.ThisisthesixthyearinarowwithoutafatalityontheForest.Wedidhavefoursignificantseparatehumantriggeredavalanchesreportedtous,allconsiderednearmisses,(withoutinjury)whichoccurredontheChugachNationalForest.Thedetailsofthesearelistedbelow.WearesadtoreportotherareasofAlaskadidnotfairaswell.Therewere6avalancherelatedfatalitiesstatewide,threeinHatcherPass*,twointheEasternAlaskaRange,andoneintheNortheasternChugachMountains.Fullaccidentreportscanbefoundonourwebsiteoronavalanche.org.*SkierLiamWalshisstillmissingandpresumedtohavebeenburiedandkilledinanavalanche.

TenderfootNearMissLocation:Tenderfoot,SummitLake,KenaiMountainsDate:January2,2016Classification:SS-ARu-D2-R1-OSynopsis:AsnowboardertriggeredanavalancheintheTenderfoottreesonaWesternaspect,whichcaughtandtookadogforaride.Thegroupoffiveweretravelingwithtwodogsandheard“whumphing”soundsprior.Itwassnowingheavilyandtherehadbeenalmosttwofeetofnewsnowintwodays,whichaddedstresstoaknownlayerofburiedsurfacehoar.Nohumansordogswereinjured.http://www.cnfaic.org/site/observations/tenderfoot-ridge-summit-lake-4/http://www.cnfaic.org/site/observations/tenderfoot-trees/

CrownfaceoftheTenderfootavalanche.Photo:DavidPearson

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GroundhogCreekNearMissLocation:GroundhogCreek,nearJohnsonPass,KenaiMountainsDate:January30,2016Classification:HS-AMu-D3-R3-OSynopsis:AsnowmachinerinagroupofthreetriggeredthisavalanchewhiletravellingintheGroundhogCreekdrainagebetweenJohnsonPassandLynxCreek.Thiswasaverylargeavalanchethatsympatheticallytriggeredadjacentavalanchesonconnectedslopes.Debrispiledupinnumerousterraintrapswherefewsafezonesexisted.Noonewascaughtorinjured.http://www.cnfaic.org/site/observations/groundhog-creek-drainage/

GroundhogCreekavalanche,veryimpressivepropagation.Photo:WendyWagner

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GoldpanNearMissLocation:Goldpan,TurnagainPass,KenaiMountainsDate:February15,2016Classification:SS-ASu-D1.5-R1-I,SS-ARu-D2-R2-ISynopsis:TwoseparatepeopleinseparatepartiestriggeredavalanchesontheSWfaceofGoldpanonthesameday.Thiswasthefirstsunnydayfollowingastormthatleft12-15”ofnewsnow.Thetwounconnectedeventsoccurredintheafternoonandbothpartiesnotedhowunusuallywarmitwasformid-FebruaryinAlaska.Askierwascaughtinthefirstavalancheandlosthisskiswhiletakingasubstantialride.Thesecondwasasnowboarderwhoalsotookalongrideandsuccessfullydeployedhisairbag.Neitherincidentresultedinaburialandnoinjurieswerereported.Thesuspectedweaklayerwasintactstellarcrystalsburiedatthebeginningofthestormonadenseroldsnowsurface.ThislayerwaswidespreadthroughoutTurnagainPass.http://www.cnfaic.org/site/observations/cornbiscuit-and-superbowl/http://www.cnfaic.org/site/observations/gold-pan-3/http://www.cnfaic.org/site/observations/superbowl-6/

Goldpanavalancheinmotion,snowboarderengulfedinsnowandpowdercloud.Photo:MikeRecords

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FinancesandFundraising-TheFriendsoftheCNFAICTheFriendsoftheCNFAICisinstrumentaltoouroperationsastheyprovidejustoverhalfofourtotalannualbudget!FundraisingcontinuedtobeverysuccessfulwithourannualFallFUNdraisersellingouttheBeartoothTheatrepub(420seats)forGregHill’swell-receivedslideshow.Annualmemberships,corporateandprivatedonationsallsawanuptickduringthe2015/16season.TheCNFAICcouldnotfunctioninitscurrentcapacitywithoutthefinancialandvolunteersupportofthisdedicatedgroupofpeople.

TheFriendsoftheChugachNationalForestAvalancheInformationCenter(F-CNFAIC)isanonprofit501(c)(3)corporation,organizedtosupportandcontributetoavalancheawarenessandeducationalactivitiesprovidedforthepublicbytheCNFAIC.Formedin2003,F-CNFAICworkstohelpbridgethegapbetweenavailableUSForestServicefundingandtheactualexpensesofoperatingtheCenter.

OngoingGoals:

• SupportingCNFAICforecastersalaries• PurchasingandmaintainingAvalancheCenter

equipment• Maintaining,expanding,andupdating

weatherstations• Enhancingavalancheawarenessbyproviding

informationtothepublic• Promotingavalancheeducation

OperatingCosts:

Tocontinuethiswork,weneedaminimumof$80,000.PleaseconsiderdonatingsotheF-CNFAICcancontinuetoprovideforecastingactivitiesandavalancheeducationtoSouthcentralAlaska!(donationlinkoncnfaic.org)

Greg Hill (blue hat) surrounded by southcentral AK skiing legends Joe Stock, Poacher Dave and Eric ‘Viking’ Opland at

the Beartooth Theatrepub. Friends-CNFAIC board member Jeff Conway

‘photo-bombs’ in the background

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THANKYOUfromtheCNFAICTeam!! TheforecasterswouldliketothankeveryonewhohasextendedsuchincrediblesupporttotheAvalancheCenter.Thisservicewouldnotbepossiblewithoutsuchastrongcommunitydesiretomakeithappen.Haveagreatsummereveryoneandwelookforwardtoseeingyounextfall!!

Graham Predeger Heather Thamm

Aleph Johnston-Bloom Wendy Wagner