Olympics

Generally safe avalanche conditions are expected Sunday.  The recent snow was welcome but be prepared to encounter a familiar set of travel challenges due to low snow in the form of open creeks and barely covered rocks, stumps and logs.  A stronger storm will likely impact the Olympics on Monday. 

Backcountry travelers in the Hurricane Ridge area enjoyed a beautiful day of sunshine and light winds on Saturday following about 4" of snow on Friday.  The fresh coat of white was needed to at least superficially cover up the bare patches that had dotted the landscape earlier in the week. NPS rangers reported the storm came in with light to occasionally moderate winds.  Wind-textured snow and shallow drifts could be found along ridgelines. N-NE aspects held the deepest snow along with your best chance for continuous on-snow travel. 

While the new snow was more than welcome it will take more than one storm to significantly improve the low snow travel hazards. Creeks, rocks, logs, trees and frozen old chunky debris all exist and can make even easy travel routes quite treacherous and time consuming.  You may find a slick and even icy crust in wind-scoured areas.  Make sure you have the right tools for safe travel and give yourself plenty of time to deal with the persistent early-season conditions. 

We know some of you will be out enjoying the backcountry - please take a few minutes and share what you're seeing through an observation.