Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich
Open full map
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Kernpunkte

Wednesday could be an unusually tricky day as the snowpack undergoes a very rapid change in the weather. This will result in dangerous and dynamic conditions with overlapping avalanche problems. Choose terrain that gives you lots of options to easily identify and avoid avalanche paths if necessary.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2

    This won’t be your normal loose wet avalanche problem. We know natural loose wet slides will occur. The questions are, how many and how big? Basically, when will the big scary ones happen? We think most avalanches Wednesday will be relatively small, primarily occur on very steep sunny slopes, and not travel very far downhill. So, when you start to see tear-dropped shape slides or piles of new rollerballs, it's time to seek out more shaded terrain away from the steep sunny areas. However, if you notice these slides entraining snow, growing large enough to bury you, or running far distances, it’s time to simply get out of their way and avoid places where avalanches can start, run, and stop. The best thing you can do to manage this uncertainty is choose terrain that allows you to easily retreat by avoiding avalanche paths if necessary. Because this problem will develop throughout the day, you could see the most dangerous conditions in the afternoon.

    Along with loose wet slides, the sun and warm temperatures could make other avalanches more likely. This includes sensitive cornices and even slabs. We’re in for two very warm and sunny days, this will be a big change and with avalanche danger spiking at some point.

    (3/25/2022)

    Example: Natural wet avalanches on a steep sunny slope from earlier this winter. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    There’s a lot of snow around the West South zone from this storm, and just because the skies are clear, don’t forget about these dry slab issues. In the morning you could still trigger avalanches in wind-loaded areas. Look for clues like sharp drifts, fresh cornices, and textured surfaces to help anticipate and avoid potential wind slabs. As the sunshine and warm temperatures start to affect the snow surface, its hard to say how the storm snow will react. It could make slides easier to trigger. Additionally, large triggers like cornices or loose wet slides may cause the deep layers to fail. So, don’t let your guard down just because it feels like spring. Continue to avoid large steep wind-loaded features.

    (4/2/2022) Use visual clues to anticipate and avoid wind loaded slopes.  Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Wednesday won’t be your normal blue bird powder day. Its rare that we have such a sizable storm with such a rapid warm-up this close together. We often say, “big changes, mean big problems” in the avalanche world. And, we have two days of a substantial change in the weather. So, the best thing you can do to manage this uncertainty is choose terrain that doesn’t box you in. Give your self options that let you easily and safely return to the trailhead by avoiding avalanche terrain if necessary. 

Storm totals around the West South range from 24-30” for most locations. This snow fell with very strong and gusty winds throughout the storm. The new snow sits above the Early April Crust. You can use this snowpack marker to easily measure the new snow, identify deeper/shallower locations, and focus you observations on the upper snowpack. We don’t anticipate any slides on older snow layer. However, there is some uncertainty around what’s left of the 3/8 weak layer and Early March Crust. This warm-up and avalanche cycle could put it to the test.

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