The Anchorage Avalanche Center (AAC) provides snow, weather, and avalanche information for Alaska’s most accessible avalanche terrain: the greater Anchorage area Western Chugach Mountains (which are primarily within Chugach State Park).

As a grassroots and entirely volunteer pro bono community service, the AAC is currently focused on providing information for avalanche terrain in areas that have been identified as the most popular and frequently visited by snow season recreationists. The primary forecast area currently includes avalanche terrain accessed from the Glen Alps trailhead (Little O’Malley Gully to False Peak and the north side of the Flattop-Ptarmigan ridge), Canyon Road trailhead (south side of the Flattop-Ptarmigan ridge), Arctic Valley trailhead (Gordon Lyon and Highland Mountain bowls), and South Fork Eagle River trailheads (Three Bowls, Lynx, Harp, and North Bowl areas).

Primary Forecast Area (outlined in red):

These areas are where most fieldwork is conducted. Information provided in the avalanche advisories and observations is most relevant to and representative of these areas, although the AAC does conduct fieldwork and seeks to provide a general forecast and public safety information applicable to the entirety of the greater Anchorage area Western Chugach Mountains and Chugach State Park.

The AAC hopes to grow and develop into a sustainably funded avalanche and backcountry safety information program capable of providing more regular and detailed information for all of the greater Anchorage area Western Chugach Mountains and Chugach State Park, but just sustaining the currently minimalist program alone is dependent on community support.

If you have time, money, or other resources to donate please contact us.  Your snow, weather, and avalanche observations from the field are also essential to providing the community with the best informational products possible.  Please consider a donation to the AAC, and contact us if you’d like to volunteer.