Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Mon
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 8 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Sunday’s nice weather could make getting into higher and more complex terrain seem very appealing. However, it's in these steeper and rockier areas that you’re most likely to encounter unstable snow. Fortunately, there’s plenty of fun soft snow in sheltered areas and shaped slopes.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Given the recent sustained strong winds, we’re most worried about hard, hollow-feeling wind slabs. This is a particularly nasty version of the problem because they are difficult to assess and don’t generally provide reliable feedback. On top of that, they’ll be a day old and becoming even harder to trigger. 

    You’re most likely to find this problem directly below cornices, in the tops of chutes, and in rocky terrain. Sadly, the only real thing you can do is identify it, then either avoid it altogether or play the odds. Visual clues like wind lips, scoured slopes, and drifts can point towards loaded aspects and features. If you look in these areas, you might find stiff pillow-like drifts. These avalanches can easily break above you and may be very difficult to escape. With more recent snow falling near the crest, slabs in these areas could be several feet thick. 

    (11/12/2025)

    Rocky terrain like this is exactly where you're most likely to find a lingering wind slab.

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    It's hard to talk about wet loose in December, but there’s plenty of new snow, sunshine, and warming temperatures in store for Sunday. An avalanche professional in the East North zone reported active wet loose conditions on Saturday. Watch for snow shedding from rocks and trees. As it falls, it could trigger small loose slides that run easily on a crust. These slides could be bigger further west in the zone where more snow fell. 

    While you might still see these at lower elevations, valley fog, cold temperatures, and long mid-winter terrain shadows should keep them from being as big an issue.

    (1/22/2025)

    Example: Snow shedding off rocks in the sunshine. You may see this on Sunday. 

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

The weather looks beautiful in the mountains Sunday. It’s a little tricky to anticipate exactly how the snowpack will react. On one hand, these are the shortest days of the year, the sun is at a low angle in the sky, and passing clouds could keep it from being totally ‘bluebird.’ On the other, there’s ample new snow and temperatures are warming. 

Friday night’s storm was good for the East Central zone. Much of the area picked up 4-6 inches, with locations near the crest receiving a foot or more. All this new snow rests on a thin breakable crust (12/24). So far, we haven’t seen any issues in the new snow away from wind affected areas. There’s a chance as the snow settles that could change. If you see cracks on uptrack tests or hand pits that produce sudden blocks failing on the buried crust, dial it back. 

Beneath the 12/24 crust, recent observations suggest the snowpack is generally right-side-up. Mission Ridge Ski Patrol found small weak facets around some of the crusty and old snow near the ground. At the moment, this layer hasn’t produced any known avalanches. 

Even with all the new snow, riding off the trailheads and roads is still painfully hard. Down trees, open creeks, and grabby bushes continue to make access challenging. Thanks to all of you who are helping to repair damage from December’s impressive storms. 

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