Mount Shasta

Your odds of triggering an avalanche today are low. Focus your attention on rapidly warming southerly aspects and on high-elevation areas that hold wind-drifted snow, especially near cliffs and ridgelines. Rollerballs, shooting cracks, and collapsing are all signs of rising snow instability.

From Mount Eddy to the Mount Shasta, our team has observed analogous conditions across the forecast area. Including: powerful wind, ice, breakable crust, micro-scabs of wind deposited soft snow, and powerful northerly winds. Over the past 48 hours, northerly winds have pummeled the region with moderate to strong speeds below treeline and extreme speeds above the treeline, gusting up to 85 mph at the Gray Butte weather station. With wind like this, wind slabs could still linger near extreme terrain features. If you find soft snow, especially on steep slopes, approach with caution and evaluate for signs of instability before continuing. As the wind dies down and we undergo a warming trend today, snow surfaces below and near the treeline may lose their cohesion. Watch for roller balls and wet snow surfaces as an indicator of increasing potential for wet loose avalanches.

While your odds of triggering an avalanche in the backcountry today are low, your chances of taking a slip and fall are high due to the widespread distribution of icy, firm, and wind scoured surfaces. Be sure to carry your crampons and an ice axe if climbing the upper ramparts of Mount Shasta and be ready to self-arrest.