Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Kernpunkte

A breakable crust should help limit the avalanche danger in the morning, but if it breaks down in the sunshine the chance for wet avalanches could increase. This may happen faster on the rocky slopes above you than where you’re standing. Don’t linger under steep slopes basking in the sun.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    You’ll be managing two different versions of wet loose slides on Tuesday. You may be able to trigger an avalanche on steeper slopes where the surface crust breaks down and reveals wet heavy snow. This version should be easy to predict and avoid. If you start to sink into more than a few inches of wet snow, steer away from nearby steep slopes. 

    The other flavor of wet loose avalanche could come from snow shedding off rocks and trees. Steep rocky faces in the sun will warm much quicker than the slopes below. This one is all about managing your overhear hazard. Blobs of snow could fall or cornices fail. These blocks of snow could be large enough to be a danger in their own right, or they could trigger a slide on the slope below. 

    Keep an eye on the terrain above you. Look for routes that help limit the time you spend underneath these sunny features.

    (1/6/2025)

    Natural wet loose avalanches on Spiral Butte in the Hwy 12 corridor on Monday. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

The snowpack continues to struggle through a transition from a generally cold snowy period to a much warmer and sunnier stretch of weather. Clear skies Monday night should allow for a decent freeze of the snow surface either reforming or strengthening the breakable surface crust observed in the zone on Monday. Inversions could create chilly and even foggy conditions at trailheads to start the day. This will be most common in the deeper mountain valleys and near the Cascade crest. 

Multiple freezing levels could result in varying bands of warm and cold air. Even if temperatures are above freezing, it should be quite chilly in the shade. If clouds from the incoming storm arrive sooner than expected, the surface crust may not break down, and you could be left with much safer avalanche conditions. 

Our big question mark is about upper elevations. If you get above 6500ft, you may find much drier and less crusty snow. Since it’s been so stormy, we haven’t heard much from these higher elevations. Easterly winds may have formed a few small firm slabs in some odd places. Blowing snow was even observed at ridgecrest (6700ft) in the White Pass backcountry on Monday. Keep you eye out for pillow-like drifts along ridgelines and exposed rocky features. 

Reports from Mt Hood suggested strong easterly winds stripped many slopes down to a very firm and icy crust. If you’re heading into the alpine on one of the volcanoes, anticipate these slick conditions higher in the terrain. 

We’re exiting a very prolonged stormy period where our snowpack grew by leaps and bounds. This cycle ended with a bang on Sunday where numerous natural, human, and explosive triggered slides were reported. You’ll likely notice the extent of the avalanche activity as you traverse large piles of frozen debris. We think these inter-storm layers will heal quickly, but there’s still some lingering uncertainty about all this new snow. A persistent slab issue in the nearby East Central zone highlights the potential for isolated pockets of weak snow. Take this into account before committing to large, consequential slopes.

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