Lawinenlagebericht

Northern Wallowas

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Storm activity from last night and this morning has created potentially sensitive windslabs on leeward facing north, northeast, and east facing terrain above treeline and near ridgelines. Carefully evaluate any terrain steeper than 30 degrees in the aforementioned terrain before before committing to that terrain.

 

This avalanche forecast is sponsored by Trailhead Baker City

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Expect to see new windslab formation on leeward facing east, northeast, and northwest terrain above treeline and especially near ridgelines today. New snow from last night and this morning is accompanied by enough westerly winds to create sensitive windslabs on the aforementioned terrain. Thoroughly test any steep wind affected slope you are considering today. Human triggered avalanches on steep wind affected slopes are possible. 

    (1/20/2023)

    I observed avalanche debris from a small windslab avalanche on a steep NW facing slope at 7800' in the Northern Elkhorns.

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    We continue to see buried surface hoar in the upper half of our snowpack. It is showing up as e faint 1" gray line that can sometimes be difficult to see. We are seeing this buried surface hoar at and below treeline on all aspects. These layers of buried surface hoar continue to be reactive in stability tests, most recently in the Southern Wallowas. Buried surface hoar is the culprit in a lot of avalanche fatalities.It can be hard to locate and it persists in the snowpack for weeks or even months. Where buried surface hoar is present, avalanches can be triggered remotely from below or sides of affected steep slopes. If you want to limit your exposure to this persistent slab problem it is recommended that you stay off of and out from under terrain steeper than 30-35 degrees. As always, one rider at a time while recreating on or near slopes steeper than 35 degrees. If red flags are observed(whumpfing, shooting cracks, other avalanches) it is time to head for safe low angle terrain less than 30 degrees. Please check out the latest observations from the Southern Wallowas from yesterday in our Observations area of this website.

  • Deep Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Unlikely
    Größe
    1–3

    We are still seeing poor snowpack structure in our snowpack in the form of basal facets and crust facet combinations near the ground. These deeply buried persistent grain types are still failing in snowpit stability tests so the deep persistent problem is still on the table. The likely hood of triggering one of these very dangerous avalanches is low but the consequences of doing so would be dire. A deep persistent avalanche can be triggered on steep slope terrain where the snowpack is thin and rocky. The best way to manage the risk is to stay off of and out from under slopes steeper than 30-35 degrees, especially near shallow rocky areas.

Avalanche Discussion

Please join us for the 11th Annual Eastern Oregon Backcountry Festival February 3rd through February 5th. The festival starts Friday night February 3rd at HQ in La Grande. We will be showing the documentary "Buried" , a movie about the Alpine Meadows avalanche disaster that occurred 40 years ago.Pies will be auctioned off after the show along with a raffle that includes a lot of cool prizes.

On Saturday February 4th, we kick things off at Anthony Lakes Ski Resort with The Kip Rand Memorial Backcountry Race at 8:00. Following the race, there is the Avalanche companion Rescue Clinic which starts at 10:00, followed by the Avalanche Basics Clinic at 1:00 PM. At 3:00, Bag of Hammers will be playing music in the Starbottle Saloon for your dancing pleasure.

On Sunday February 5th, join WAC forecasters on a ski tour of Angell Basin near Anthony Lakes. This activity starts at 9:00.

This is just a general overview of the Backcountry Festival activities. For more details about the festival, go to the home page of the Wallowa Avalanche Center website where you can learn about the online auction and how to sign up for the various activities that will be going on at Anthony Lakes Ski Resort Saturday and Sunday.

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