Lawinenlagebericht

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 5 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

An incoming storm will bring more wind than rain or snow to the Mt Hood area Friday afternoon and night.   Approach steep open slopes with firmer wind pressed snow cautiously.  At lower elevations,  if you find yourself sinking into wet snow deeper than your ankle, stay off of very steep slopes near terrain traps. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    Recent and new snow will start moving once again on Friday as westerly winds increase quickly during the day.  As you climb in elevation, feel for wind-stiffened or hollow-sounding snow to help you identify which steep lee slopes to steer around.  If you see cracking in the surface snow or recent avalanches, choose lower-angled terrain sheltered from the wind.  Above treeline,  winds likely be strong enough to scour the same exposed aspects and may form wind slabs well below ridgelines.  

    Continued mild temperatures overnight may mean you can find wet snow below treeline Friday.  If you find yourself sinking deeper than your ankle, avoid very steep slopes where a small wet loose avalanche could knock you off your feet and cause injury like near open creeks, cliff bands, or exposed rocks. 

    (1/31/2022) Westerly winds blowing snow at ridgetop, scouring down to the hard, icy old snow surface and loading a NE aspect. Photo: Andrew Kiefer

Avalanche Discussion

Temperatures warmed on Thursday and small wet loose avalanches occurred on steep southerly slopes below treeline.  The milder weather also led to some sticky surface conditions (see photo).  The south and west side of the mountain picked up 2-4 inches of new snow above 5000' through Thursday morning while little new snow fell on the north and east side. 

No slab avalanches were reported Thursday and conditions above treeline remained a mix of scoured icy surfaces and chalky wind pressed snow.  About a foot of snow accumulated above the late January crust earlier this week and winds formed dense wind slabs on higher lee slopes up to 2' thick.  The recent snow bonded well to the underlying crust and were stubborn to trigger. The snow was enough to help improve surface conditions after a long mid-January dry spell. 

Despite the recent snow, slick, icy, and hazardous travel conditions still exist where the old snow surface is exposed. Icy conditions led to numerous falls and multiple rescues on the upper mountain over the past week, and several snowmobilers lost control on the slick surfaces at Skyline and Frog Lake SnoParks with accidents and severe injuries reported. Keep your guard up - snow surfaces are variable out there and can change rapidly with aspect and elevation.  

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