Lawinenlagebericht

Silver Valley & Bitterroot Mountains

Idaho Panhandle Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Today the sun will be out, but don’t let your guard down. Mild temps have contributed to rounding and strengthening of most of the snowpack. However, recent warm temps and several nights of barely freezing lows have caused the upper snowpack to become moist and sticky—a recipe for wet loose avalanches. Wet loose avalanches are possible on steep slopes on all aspects today. The problem will be more likely at lower elevations and on more solar exposed slopes.

Heavy mountain snow and gusty winds will enter the area Sunday through Tuesday. Anticipate avalanche danger to begin rising on Sunday afternoon.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    Several days of warm temperatures and lows barely hitting the freezing mark have allowed liquid water to infuse the upper snowpack, even at upper elevations. With the sun comming out conditions are ripe for wet loose slides on steep slopes today, especially on south facing solar aspects.

    Pin wheel roller balls, snow sticking to the base of your board(s) and skins and tree bombs are all signs that surface snow is warming and loosing strength. Wet loose avalanches, which can be slow but travel surprisingly long distances, begin at a single point but fan outward as they progress. Wet loose slides on steep slopes can entrain significant amounts of snow—enough to sweep a skier or rider off their feet and carry them into a terrain trap.

    Wet loose avalanche debris are said to setup like concrete once they stop moving. Being caught in one doesn’t sound pleasant and there are plenty of stories about people being trapped in gullies or creek beds by relatively small wet loose slides. So don’t take this problem lightly. Be aware of your proximity to terrain traps and be mindful of signs of weakening surface snow.

    (2/22/2024) Photo: Mikey Church

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterday George and I toured up and around Copper Basin, east of Lookout. We had to contend with globs of snow sticking to our skis as we skinned up. We decided to seek out a north aspect slope for our decent with the thought that we would be more likely to find dry snow on the least solar effected terrain. However, the dense cloud cover of the past few days insulated our area and caused widespread warming of the surface snow. As George and I began our decent we kicked loose many pinwheel roller balls that made deep gouges in the snow surface as they rapidly grew in size and initiated small wet loose avalanches. We therefore chose to avoid steep smooth slopes where wet loose slides might entrain additional snow, and stuck to more broken terrain in the trees.

Wet loose avalanches are most often a problem we deal with in the springtime, but the unseasonably warm wet weather we have had recently, has made it our main concern today. With the sun forecast to emerge and temperatures in the upper 30’s, I’m concerned the wet loose avalanche problem will be even more likely today than they were yesterday.

Other than the wet loose problem, the structure of our snowpack looks pretty good right now. The upper 2+ feet are right side up and sit on top of a supportable crust from early February. The facets we observed above the crust last week appear to have ‘healed’ during this period of mild weather.

Looking ahead, I’m optimistic that the snowstorm forecast to hit our region later this weekend will come in right side up and bond to the existing snow surface well. Cross your fingers, sleep in your lucky socks and do a snow dance, this might be our best chance of the season for good skiing and riding conditions. As always, a significant loading event, i.e., a foot or two of new snow, is a red flag for avalanche danger to rise. If you get out on Sunday or Monday, be on the lookout for signs of instability and remember that low angle terrain is always a safe option.

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