Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

The risk of triggering an avalanche might be low, but large and dangerous natural avalanches are still possible as warm temperatures and strong sun persist for another day. Avoid traveling under steep slopes, cornices, and rocky terrain that could shed snow. Small avalanches or cornice falls can trigger a much larger avalanche lower on the slope.

 

 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Glide Cracks

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    Limit your exposure to steep terrain overhead, especially where you see cracks or wrinkles in the snow that indicate where the entire snowpack is slipping on a smooth ground surface. These are the conditions when very large glide avalanches occur. Blocks of melting snow clinging to rock faces are also a red flag.

    While many slopes have shed wet snow, natural loose snow avalanches can still be triggered by cornice fall or snow shedding from rocks and cliffs. If you start seeing activity in the terrain above as the morning heats up, anticipate seeing some snow move down the hill toward you in the hours following.

    (12/21/2023)

    Example of a glide avalanche on a northeast aspect of Huntoon Point at 5000'.  Additional glide cracks and wrinkled snow are visible around the slab that had already pulled out.

    (WS-N-D1.5-G)

  • Cornices

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    The big stuff has finally started to come down and wreak havoc now that we hit day 5 of above-freezing temperatures. Two different cornice fall events were observed in West North since the weekend.  One of them triggered a much larger slab on the slope below.

    West North is a big zone with lots of rugged alpine terrain - and cornices. It’s nearly a sure thing this is happening across the zone anywhere significant cornices develop, not just in the Baker BC. Identification and travel advice for this problem is simple - don’t travel under cornices until there is a significant drop in temperatures for a few days. And stay well away from steep slopes below cornices as well.

    (3/16/2024)

    Cornice fall high on Table Mountain on a north-facing slope at 5600'.

    Photo: Dave Duryee

Avalanche Discussion

It's unlikely you would find a slab of dry snow in which to trigger an avalanche except for at the highest elevations. If you do make it to the alpine, lookout for pockets of wind slab in steep terrain, especially on slopes with consequences like cliffs or rocks in the runout below. 

A large cornice fall that triggered an even bigger slab avalanche on the slope below was reported from the West North on Monday. Distant rumbles heard from around the mountains show that while all the avalanche activity out there may not be immediately visible, it’s still happening. These add to the hundreds of wet loose, glide slabs, falling cornices, and even some dry slab avalanches already observed both on the west and east sides of the Cascade Crest. If you are headed to a part of West Central adjacent to Snoqualmie or Stevens Pass, check the forecasts for those zones.

If you're out in the snow, share your observations with us and your local backcountry community.

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