Olympics

Generally safe avalanche conditions are expected Friday, but continue to use caution near chutes and cliffs if the snow becomes wet and mushy.  You'll find a variety of snow surfaces on the mountain, including the firm and potentially icy kind.  Ensure you have the tools to arrest a slip-and-fall before crossing steep icy slopes.  

The fresh snow from earlier in the month is becoming a distant memory as we march further along an anomalously warm, sunny, and dry stretch.  The snowpack in the Hurricane Ridge area lost nearly 20" since its most recent peak on Jan 9th.  An atmospheric river brought rain to the highest peaks last weekend, and now we've had several days of sunshine and mountain temperatures in the 40s and 50s.  The NPS observation from Thursday afternoon reported a variety of snow surfaces.  Shady aspects had a firm crust. On steeper, shady slopes, the crust was several inches thick and boot-supportable.  While there was evidence of past avalanche activity, sunny slopes were patchy with a spring-like dimpled appearance after several warm days.  A large glide avalanche had released at some point over the last several days on a steep N-NW aspect on the trail to Hurricane Hill (Steep and Icy path).  That said, other glide avalanche areas (such as the 20th of June) did not show any glide cracks or signs of recent snowpack movement. 

A few things to keep in mind despite the Low Danger: 

• Glide avalanches have occurred along the west slopes of the Cascades during this warm stretch.  Look for glide cracks (brown frown) where the snowpack has moved, and if you see these red flags, don't hang out below.  Chunks of snow may shed from steep rock faces at any time during this warm stretch in isolated areas.  
• Wet loose avalanches are possible in isolated areas.  Despite continued mild overnight temperatures, generally clear skies should support a nightly refreeze of snow surfaces that soften during the day. The terrain where you could trigger a wet loose avalanche is shrinking as we march ahead in this persistent mild pattern.  Use caution around extreme features, like very steep slopes below sun-soaked cliffs, chutes and rock bands, where the snow is receiving additional heating and there's a higher likelihood of triggering a wet loose avalanche. 
• The snowpack should contain multiple crusts and is unlikely to harbor any weak snow layers of concern. 
• With refreezing surfaces producing a variety of snow conditions, including firm, icy surfaces, it's time to consider the consequences of a slide or fall on a steep icy slope.  Before you move across icy steep slopes, make sure to have the proper traction and be ready to self-arrest a fall.  

Whether you're out in the Hurricane Ridge area, on Mt Ellinor or somewhere else in the range,  please share a short summary and photos with us.  We'd love to know where the snow is softening, where it's staying firm, average snow depths, and overall travel conditions.  Enjoy the sunshine! 

Weather station note: We are working with the NPS to restore communications to the Hurricane Ridge weather station.  Right now, we don't have an estimated return time.