Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Thu
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
1 · Gering
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

Welcome back! We are excited to kick off the 2024/25 season with you!You may still be able to trigger a small avalanche in pockets of wind-drifted snow. Their distribution is likely isolated to upper elevations in steep, exposed terrain below sharp ridgelines. However, even these small slides could have higher consequences due to low snow cover with exposed rocks and other obstacles.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Identify likely wind-loaded features along ridgelines, below cornices, and in confined gullies. Pillowlike drifts, textured surfaces, and hollow-sounding snow are all signs of wind slabs. Step into the terrain slowly and check the reactivity of the wind slabs on small, inconsequential test slopes before committing to any wind-loaded steep slopes. Shooting cracks, whumping collapses, and recent avalanche activity are signs that these slabs are unstable, and you should steer around these features in steep terrain. We expect this problem to be fairly isolated and involve small, shallow avalanches, but we have limited information in these early stages of winter. Be prepared to assess wind slab reactivity yourself as you travel. Even small avalanches could drag you through rocks, or cause falls with high consequences in these low snow cover conditions. 

    (11/26/2024)

    Shooting cracks in wind-drifted snow near Washington Pass on Tuesday, 7200ft on a West aspect. (11/26). 

    Photo: Will Govus

Avalanche Discussion

Welcome to winter! The track of storm systems we have enjoyed over the past couple of weeks is likely to become a memory for the remainder of this week while we settle into a drying pattern with sunshine and passing high clouds. We could wring out a few showers but don't expect much snow to accumulate. Thankfully, it will stay cold in the short term, but prepare for a warmup this weekend.With the clear skies, you could see rollerballs shedding from rocks warming in the sun. But this time of the year, the sun is too low in the sky to cause significant snowpack warming. So, besides some rouge rollerballs, don't expect wet avalanches of much significance. Winter started quickly this year with storms that built an excellent early-season snowpack. Snowpack depths at lower elevations are still quite shallow, but depth increases significantly with elevation. On average the Washington Pass area has 3-4 feet of snow above 5000ft. Along with our better-than-average November snowpack, these storms brought avalanches. Current observations indicate most avalanche activity has involved recent snow, with reports of isolated storm and wind slabs. We have limited information on the snowpack throughout the zone, but cold temperatures likely prevented problematic crusts in the upper snowpack that make a good sliding surface for avalanches. Observers reported that the wind distributed snow unevenly throughout the terrain. So, in some areas, you may find a shallower snowpack in exposed upper elevations than at mid-elevations. Low elevations still have shallow snow cover with challenging access and many hazards to negotiate, such as creeks, rocks, and fallen trees in burn-scarred areas. 

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