Lawinenlagebericht

Bridgeport Avalanche Center

Bridgeport Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
4 · Gross
Waldgrenze
4 · Gross
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 8 months ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Expect unstable snow today due to continued snowfall and the plentiful snow available for wind transport. Wind loaded areas near and above treeline will have the deepest snow, but these are also the places where you could trigger avalanches or encounter natural ones. Travel in avalanche terrain is not recommended today. Give yourself wide safety margins because of poor visibility.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1.5–3

    Southwest winds accompanied new snowfall over the past two days, and this pattern continues today. Layers of stronger, windblown snow exist on top of weaker snow and/or a rain crust on downwind and cross-loaded slopes at mid and upper elevations. Because of additional loading today, natural avalanches are possible, so avoid steep terrain and also minimize your exposure to overhead hazard. 

    Although unstable snow could also exist on some windward and lower elevation slopes, there is probably not enough snow in those areas to cover obstacles and provide a usable snowpack - although even a small avalanche in these locations would still have high consequences. 

Avalanche Discussion

Most of the snowpack is only a few days old, and needs time to adjust to the rapid loading that continues today. Besides being unstable, the new snow and windblown snow will be hiding obstacles from view, but not from you making contact with them. There’s also a good chance that enough new snow fell on open water to make it look supportable, especially near the water’s edges.

If you go out today, you may find yourself making the choice between avalanches or rocks and stumps. The best solution is to find deep snow that’s not in steep terrain or underneath it. Use meadows and roadbeds that you know aren’t littered with nasty things to ruin your day or season, and stay off lakes until they actually freeze.

Treat today and this weekend as a “shakedown” to enjoy the new snow, test your equipment, and get into the groove with your partners. This can be done in mellow terrain, so there’s no need to unnecessarily expose yourself to steep avalanche terrain.

Disclaimer: We've had limited observations prior to today's avalanche forecast. Although it's not rocket surgery to predict wind slabs today, another factor to keep in mind is the potential for weak sugary snow within the old snowpack on high elevation cold slopes. We made several observations of this potential weak layer before it rained to high elevations in mid-December, but we don't know where it still exists, or if it was entirely destroyed by rain, or if the rain created a crust that will enhance the weak layer. Over the next several days to weeks, if you trench or dig into old snow, please submit an observation letting us let us know the estimated elevations and aspects where you did or did not find weak sugary gains within the old snow.

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