Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

The storm is not over - snowfall is forecast to continue into Wednesday. Dangerous avalanche conditions persist, especially in locations farther west in the forecast zone (Schreiebers, Sisters Range) that likely saw stormier conditions in the last 24 hours. Gather avalanche, snowpack, and weather observations before considering more challenging terrain. When in doubt stick to slopes less than 35 degrees.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2.5

    West North could see another 6-10” of new snow on top of the 12-24” that fell so far with this storm. Winds should also stay strong enough overnight to transport abundant fresh snow onto leeward slopes. No natural avalanche activity is expected, but the combination of new snow loading up a snowpack with known weak layers is enough to demand extra caution. You are more likely to trigger an avalanche in wind-loaded terrain, but consider all slopes as suspect until proven otherwise.

    Observations were few given stormy conditions in many parts of the zone. With this in mind take an assessment mindset into the mountains with you tomorrow. Start with a conservative plan and get a handle on snowpack structure and recent avalanche activity before considering more complex terrain. The simplest bet will be to stay off large steep slopes or any steep slope with consequences in the runout.

    Loose snow avalanches have the potential to knock you off your feet and push you around in steep terrain. While probably not big enough to bury you, they could drag you into a creek, trees, or some other early-season hazard.

    (1/6/2024)

    You could still find an avalanche like this - or bigger - on Wednesday.

    Photo: Jason Speer - Baker Mountain Guides

Avalanche Discussion

Observations were limited given a stormy forecast that had many holding off backcountry travel until Wednesday. In fact snowfall and wind speeds - while still notable - were less than forecast. No human or natural avalanches were reported as of Tuesday evening. Those who were out found generally stable conditions with small loose dry avalanches being the primary instability. The other main observation was a firm layer 8-12” below the surface. It formed during warm temperatures and precipitation earlier in the storm.

A layer of facets overlying the 12/30 melt-freeze crust was buried 2-3 feet deep during the previous storm on Jan 5-6th. This layer is suspected as the culprit behind the larger natural and explosive-triggered avalanches associated with that storm. While getting buried even deeper and becoming harder to trigger, it’s still on the list of snowpack factors until observations provide a better picture of what happened out there over the last 24-36 hours.

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