East Slopes Central

Even with softening and warming surfaces on sun-exposed slopes, avalanches remain unlikely. Carry sharp self-arresting equipment for traveling over hard, icy surfaces. Additionally, low snow coverage has made recreation challenging. Come prepared for it all with good travel techniques.

Low clouds sloshed around the zone on Sunday, allowing the sun to shine on a variety of slopes at a variety of times. Thanks to cold temperatures (the Fish Lake weather station dropped to 7F Sunday morning) and robust surface crust formation, this didn't really have much effect on avalanche hazard. For Monday, anticipate a mix of low and middle clouds across the zone in the morning, before clearing in the afternoon as temperature inversions break down. You can also anticipate similar low avalanche hazard.

The mountains are inherently risky places with or without avalanches. Dangerously slick rain and melt freeze crusts are widespread throughout the zone. Bumpy runnels and ice are common, too. A long, uncontrolled fall could go from bad to worse if you run into rocks, cliffs, trees, or creeks. These hazards are quite present right now, given how meager the snowpack is, and such incidents have been reported in the Cascades and Mt. Hood over the past week. Stack the odds in your favor by carrying something sharp to arrest a fall and know how to use it: ski/boot crampons, whippets, ice axes, etc. Don't forget to wear your helmet too!

While surface crust formation is widespread, there is a lot of variability to be found in the snowpack. These crusts can range anywhere from less than 1 inch to 8 inches thick, depending on aspect. Large, weaker grains known as facets have formed in shaded terrain underneath where crusts are thinner. They are also forming between other crusts buried within the snowpack. So far, they have only been found on north and northeast facing terrain around Mission Ridge, but might be in more areas around Dirty Face and Trinity. Surface hoar has also been observed in a lot of shaded terrain throughout the zone and nearby zones as well. While this doesn't really mean anything regarding avalanche hazard right now, these layers could become problematic once buried. As we finally face down a shift to stormy weather, start thinking about how you'll shift your mindset when you're in the backcountry.

Then there's dry ground across many low elevation or south facing slopes, reminiscent of early-season conditions. Some areas, like the Wenatchees, lack consistent snow coverage for on-snow recreation altogether. Plan ahead for challenging travel and keep a watchful eye out for exposed obstacles and open creeks.

While low avalanche danger exists, continue to practice safe travel rituals, such as exposing only one person to steep terrain at a time and carrying a functioning avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe. This could even be a great time to practice rescue with that equipment if you haven't yet this season!