Lawinenlagebericht

Galena Summit & Eastern Mtns

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
1 · Gering
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 5 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Yesterday's storm built thin drifts of wind-blown snow in exposed middle and upper elevation terrain. These slabs are small and isolated but may be easy to trigger, thanks to the weak snow underneath. In areas sheltered from the wind, generally stable avalanche conditions exist.  There's a lingering chance of triggering a large, destructive slide in steep, rocky, wind-affected terrain. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    2–3

    The weak snow near the ground has shown little sign of improvement in many parts of this zone. With minimal loading over the past 3 weeks, triggering a large persistent slab avalanche has become unlikely. You'd have to be pretty unlucky to trigger a slide on this weak snow but is still worth keeping in mind. Many local professionals and experienced backcountry travelers are still choosing their terrain based on the presence of this snow, myself included. We are minimizing our exposure to terrain with the following characteristics: 

    • Steep: slopes steeper than about 35 degrees.
    • Rocky: slopes with variable snow cover due to the roughness of the terrain.
    • Wind-affected: slopes where strong winds produced variable snow cover.

Avalanche Discussion

In addition to the persistent slab problem described above, you'll be well-served to keep your eyes peeled for fresh wind slabs today. Yesterday's weak storm brought 1-3 inches of new snow and strong winds blowing out of the W/SW. This combination built small but sensitive drifts in terrain exposed to the wind. You may find them in atypical locations, such as in middle elevation terrain that is generally sheltered from the effects of the wind. Though these slabs will be small and isolated, they may be large enough to knock you off your feet and carry you through some unpleasant terrain. Be alert to the consequences of triggering one of these thin slabs if you are traveling in steep, rocky, treed terrain.

I was on Galena Peak yesterday afternoon and I found that most of the snow had been blown off into the atmosphere at upper elevations. Down lower, I was able to intentionally trigger a very small wind slab (you can see a photo here, read my observation here, and watch a video here).

You can quickly catch up on what happened this past week in my latest Weekend Update video.

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