Haven’t been out skiing too much this past week, but the crew did roll out en masse on Saturday am during the height of the storm. I don’t have good mid storm shots as the light was total crap, but the bottom line is…the snow is deep and according to HPAC, the avy danger is High. As the clouds burned off this morning and the temperatures began to fall again, I tried to hurry up to the pass and get a look at the snowpack. Jed had informed me of a slide crossing the road below Marmot, but didn’t have much more info. The Indy snotel is holding at around 12-15 inches of new, but I would bet it’s easily much more in many places.
Archangel Road…President’s Day Run and Lookers right gully
As I drove up the road, the evidence of strong, gusty winds and heavy wet snow was immediately apparent. Leeward slopes were fat and loaded with new snow, while windward ridges were exposed from snow transport, wind loading, and showed recent avalanche activity. A couple of DOT employees were sitting at the hairpin by the motherlode, and the road to the top was closed. DOT was removing avy debris from somewhere around mile 17….that’s all the info they had. Besides the usual culprits creating avy’s that cross the road, literally every drainage and gully on SE facing Presidents Ridge 
(or Marmot Mountain, whatever you call it) had natural avalanche activity.  Some slides were new snow failing in soft slabs, while others ripped out to the ground. Even lower angle slopes in the lower sections of the drainages slid. As stable as our snow was, it was comprised almost entirely of light density fluff and faceting snow. This storm came in hot, heavy and wet…could be good for our snowpack in the long run. Let’s see what this avy cycle flushes out. Be careful out there, and check the Hatcher Pass Avy Center for more detailed info. The link is in the right hand sidebar under Snow Observations (HPAC).
Marmot Peak is the black & white shot on the right
According to the NWS, our weather pattern is holding strong, with a day or so of clear weather and another round of triple point lows slamming into the region. Praise Ullr and get some! The next storm will be warmer than today, but nowhere near as balmy as this weekend’s event. The consistent pattern of snow and blow looks to continue for Anchorage and Turnagin Arm as the Talkeetnas set up for a decent storm and slightly lower temps. Check the marmot cam and Independence Snotel as the storm develops.
December 7th, 2011 – A day of infamy…and heavy, DUMPING SNOW!
In other news…super huge thanks to everyone who came out to watch Attack of La Nina! Rob delivered on the suds, MSP delivered on the sick skiing, and valley skiers showed up to support the local scene! We had a blast and hope you all did too! Keep checking back for more updates and info on our show in January!
  
Clenching for Quarters! Those stickers were worth it right?
