#HatcherPass obs today: Persistent slabs lurk, and were found to be reactive on south to west aspects from the increased solar radiation. Several naturals were observed, as well as this #skier triggered #avalanche that occurred around 3:15pm at ~4500’ SW aspect (SS-ASu-D2-R2-I). After heading back up for seconds, this avalanche was triggered while traversing the ridge to get skier’s right of the first set of tracks. It was triggered at a slight convexity off the ridge where the aspect became a bit more southerly. Today was the first day the sun had a really significant impact on the #snow. The increase in radiation from the slightly more southerly aspect and lack of compressive support from the slightly more convex terrain feature are likely culprits. The bed surface was an old melt-freeze crust, which can be felt under the Valentine’s week snow on steep south and west aspects. Map shows trigger point at red “x.”

A post shared by Anchorage Avalanche Center (@anchorage_avalanche_center) on Feb 20, 2018 at 8:10pm PST