Eaglecrest Ski Area has 640 acres of avalanche mitigated, inbounds terrain. If you go out-of-bounds, you are entering backcountry terrain. Please read the Avalanche Warning from the Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center and know before you go! Learn more about Mountain Safety at Eaglecrest.

DANGEROUS BACKCOUNTRY AVALANCHE CONDITIONS WARNING

The Coastal Alaska Avalanche Center is aware of unique and dangerous snowpack conditions that warrant a special warning to Juneau residents traveling in avalanche terrain. Large avalanches that propagate long distances have been observed recently and more are expected to release in the near future. Anyone who chooses to travel through avalanche terrain should exercise extreme caution.

The unique conditions are the result of a thick freezing rain crust that formed at the tail end of a deep snowfall event. After the rain crust formed, two weeks of very cold temperatures caused the snow below that crust to facet and grow weak crystals. This week’s snowfall has now built a denser slab on top of the weak snowpack structure, causing natural and human-triggered avalanches of considerable size.

Avalanche activity this week has already proven to propagate large distances and reached slab depths of over 2 meters. Some of these avalanches have been triggered remotely from flat terrain and then traveled into steeper terrain, releasing immense quantities of snow. Terrain that is generally considered safe from avalanche exposure may be hazardous.

How long this weak layer will persist is unknown, but could potentially last for the rest of the winter season. Heavy precipitation forecasted for this weekend is expected to increase this instability. Please be cautious with your backcountry choices.

Contact for more information:
[email protected]

Primary Contact:
Kanaan Bausler
[email protected]
907 419 7709

Secondary Contacts:
Mike Janes 907 723 9831
Pat Dryer 907 723 9752
Peter Flynn 802 578 4031