(01/03/11 18:58:47)
Avalanche specialists are cautioning the public about increased avalanche danger in Southcentral Alaska.
The areas of particular concern are Turnagain Pass, Valdez and Cordova, they said.
Juneau also has a heightened risk of avalanches.
The unseasonably warm weather of the past few days has put immense stress on an unstable snow layer one to three feet below the surface, said Jon Gellings, an avalanche forecaster with Chugach National Forest Avalanche Information Center.
It won't take much for a large avalanche to occur, he said.
The Department of Public Safety, along with Avalanche Specialists, wants to encourage outdoor enthusiasts to take a break from recreating in the backcountry.
Avalanche forecasters are discouraging outdoor enthusiasts from recreating in the backcountry.
Gellings said conditions won't improve until at least 24 hours after the current storm cycle ends, and even after that danger pockets will remain.
Avalanche danger can change daily, the information center said. These websites provide information on the avalanche forecast around the state:
• http://www.avalanche-center.org/Bulletins.
• http://www.juneau.org/avalanche.
The Public Safety Department said those venturing into the backcountry for snowmachining, skiing or snowshoeing should prepare a trip plan with detailed information regarding where they will be traveling and when they will return, and give that plan to someone who will report them missing if they do not check in or return on time.
A Wilderness trip plan form can be found online at: http://www.dps.state.ak.us/pio/docs/WildernessTripPlan.pdf.
Recommended safety gear include cell phone and other communication equipment, avalanche transceivers, probes and shovels.Fisherman's Choice Charters
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