Avalanche safety up Hatcher Pass

PALMER — More than 100 people came up to Gold Mint Trail parking lot on Saturday for the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Workshop. Snowboarders, skiers, snowmachiners, and other snowbound mountaineers from across the Mat-Su and a fair number from Anchorage came with their gear, shovels, a beacon and a desire for free information. They stayed after the meetings for free food and conversation. After losing an Anchorage skier up Hatcher Pass in 2017, it seemed like a good time to strengthen the level of caution going into the new year.

“It’s our home base,” said Rob Uphus, vice president of the Hatcher Pass Snow Riders Club.

The day was filled with speaker presentations, workshops and survival scenarios. There was even a demonstration for a piece of new equipment called the “Avalanche Beacon Checkpoint” system, which allows adventurers to test their beacons with the checkpoint to make sure their signal is working. The checkpoint is set to be fully installed on Jan. 27 with a ribbon cutting and extra step in place to be extra safe up in one of the Mat-Su’s favorite getaways. Avalanche Specialist and Forecaster for the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, Allie Barker noted that the test at the checkpoint is just for “that moment only.” She said that forgetting to check to see if one’s beacon is working properly is pretty common, so the checkpoint is “another step to ensure that you’re paying attention.”

The event was hosted by the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, collaborating with the Friends of the Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center, Alaska Avalanche School, and Alaska Avalanche Information Center. There are a number of reasons why someone would go up a mountain, be it for a ski trip or just to hike around in snowshoes, so the visitors were split into different groups so the numerous avalanche experts with various backgrounds and organizations could specialize and focus in on their lesson criteria. Enveloping all of the lessons across the board were some core principles. Each group practiced beacon checks, how to use a probe, effective digging, and beacon search. There was also a chance for participants to review multi-burial companion rescue techniques and learn about Avalanche airbag deployment, which can help people stay on the top of the snow in the event of an avalanche.

Participants learned how to identify red flags, clues that the snowpack is unstable. According to Barker, one of the major points she and her fellow volunteers stressed that day was the “5 GETS:” “get the gear, get the training, get the forecast, get the picture, get out of harm's way.” The “5 GETS” are written on the beacon checkpoint and will be visible to all coming through after the ribbon cutting later this month.

Running the barbeque and serving free burgers and hot dogs was Lin Turner, a long-time Hatcher Pass resident and avid snow sport enthusiast. He’s the president of the Hatcher Pass Snow Riders Club. He’s been around the mountain a few times, surviving three avalanches in his life. He said that, before setting out, everyone has one thing in their control: “The danger level,” how much risk they are willing to take.

“You don’t have to go,” Turner said.

All the experts on-site that day were volunteers, sharing a love for the snow and years of experience navigating through it. Like the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, each group invests time to its community on a weekly basis, checking the terrain, clearing trails, sharing information, and using events like these to better protect people as they embark on adventures to places they’ve grown rather fond of.

“This has been my playground forever,” Turner said.

For more information about the Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center, to get current avalanche forecasts with risk levels, or to submit an observation, visit: alaskasnow.org.