Southeast Mountains

Weather conditions continue to weaken the snowpack.  The specific terrain features of concern are on the north half of the compass, including east, below treeline which are steeper than about 37 degrees.  You can trigger loose snow avalanches on steep, protected slopes where you find weak, cohesionless snow.  These avalanches could push you into rocks, trees, or gullies and cause a traumatic injury.  Sunny slopes, wind affected terrain, and upper elevation areas offer generally safer avalanche conditions.  

Atmospheric conditions are slowly driving changes within the snowpack.  Cold and clear nights are weakening snow surfaces and on some terrain the entire snowpack.  Shady, protected terrain with a shallow snowpack, less than around 20 inches, is losing most of its strength and cohesion.  Slopes where you find weak, cohesionless snow are the most concerning for triggering a Loose Dry avalanche that gouges to the ground and entrains the full snowpack.  Check out Zach's video from a few days ago in the Happy Chutes area (observation here) on Mount Emmons for a great description of this terrain and some footage of how this type of avalanche behaves.  Lower elevation terrain, slopes close to town, and features that sit below the inversion level are the most concerning for producing Loose Dry avalanches that entrain most of the season's snowpack.  This snowpack setup is more common in the Southeast Mountains thus the reason for the increased danger rating of MODERATE.   As you travel further away from town or to higher elevations or to terrain with a deeper snowpack, like in the Northwest Mountains, you can find 6 to 8 inches of weak snow near the surface with denser snow below.  In these areas, Loose Dry avalanches will entrain only the weak surface snow and remain on the smaller side.  Take a look at recent forecaster observations from Mount Axtel or Purple Palace for a better picture of the problem where it is less concerning yet still exists.   To manage this problem you have a few effective options.  First, for locations where you find a cohesionless snowpack less than about 20 inches, it would be best to just avoid terrain steeper than about 35 degrees.  You will struggle to make turns and will likely be banging off the ground constantly.  Ski cutting will also work to remove some of the avalanche hazard, but you are likely to clean out all of the snow and have nothing to slide on.  For areas where you find supportive snow beneath the weak surface, you can choose lower angled slopes, less than about 35 degrees or ski cut to remove some of the cohesionless surface snow prior to descending.  Avalanches are anticipated to remain small, but you should consider the consequences of getting pushed into trees, off cliffs, or into a gully.  Slopes affected by the wind or sunny aspects will offer terrain choices where Loose Dry avalanches are not a problem.    

This Friday is CBAC's Virtual Avalanche Awareness Night!  The event includes avalanche talks, drive-through food and swag, an awesome gear raffle, and an "Ask a Forecaster" panel -  all broadcast live from the Center for the Arts with your favorite wacky host, Than Acuff.   Tune in on our YouTube channel from 6 to 8 p.m on Friday.