Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sat
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 4 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

You will find shallow wind slabs at higher elevations on Friday, specifically near ridge tops, under cornices, and on slopes facing east. In these locations, steer around areas with freshly drifted snow.  If you encounter shooting cracks or recent avalanches, stay off of steep open slopes all together. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    After a few inches of new snow and moderate SW winds, wind slabs will continue to grow in size and distribution at higher elevations across the zone.  These slabs of snow will likely be shallow, but could still be consequential if triggered, especially with the shallow snow coverage.   Expect these slabs to be larger and more destructive the further west in the zone, including areas closer to White Pass and Chinook Pass. Use Visual clues to identify where wind slabs may be waiting. If you see wind blowing snow onto open slopes or notice sharp looking cornices developing, stay off of open slopes steeper than 35 degrees. In lower angle terrain, if you experience red flags like shooting cracks under your sled/feet, hear collapsing, or observe recent avalanche activity there’s an increased chance you will trigger an avalanche.

    Shooting crack in wind-drifted snow. A red flag that shouldnt be ignored.  

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

SNOTEL sites across the east-south zone are generally showing modest amounts of new precipitation  (2-4 inches of snow) paired with moderate SW winds at most ridge top locations.

Higher elevation areas such as Mt. Aix and Darland Mtn have a deeper and more layered snowpack.  In these locations look for weak, sugary snow that sits adjacent to a crust that was buried in late November.  There have been limited observations of recent avalanche activity on this layer in this zone.  However, our neighbors to the north in the east-central zone have observed avalanche activity on this 11/22 layer and are still receiving propagating results in test pits.  Similarly, Crystal Mt Ski Patrol (near the border with the East South), triggered several avalanches with explosives on these older snow layers.  The combination of limited observations and knowing adjacent zones are dealing with a poor snowpack structure, should make you take a step back and closely evaluate shaded slopes that may harbor this weak snow. 

The snowpack around the East South zone is still relatively thin.  Expect open creeks, holes around rocks, and shallowly buried brush to make travel much trickier and more dangerous. Give yourself a little extra time to navigate around these obstacles.  

If you get out into the East-South Zone tell us what you see by submitting an observation on our public observation platform!  These observations play an integral role in producing a quality avalanche forecast, but also help the greater backcountry community.

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