Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Tue
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist last year abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

Most of your avalanche concerns are in wind-drifted snow, where subtly thicker snow on steep slopes is where you could trigger an avalanche, so avoid these areas on Monday. Given the recent storm with a lot of deep, fluffy snow, continue to steer around large steep, and unsupported slopes where you could trigger a destructive avalanche. If clouds part for a short period, wet avalanches may occur on steep slopes facing the sun. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Given the large load of snow we had on Saturday, we're hesitant to say that you won't trigger an avalanche in non-wind-loaded terrain on large, steep, and unsupported slopes. Stop and reevaluate before stepping out onto a large, steep slope. Stick to smaller or less high-consequence terrain as the snow continues to settle. Use even more caution if the avalanche path exposes you to a terrain trap.

    That being said, you're probably most likely to trigger an avalanche on a wind-loaded slope. These drifts could be subtly heavier or a firmer slab beneath more recent, less wind-affected snow. It may even be hard to tell if the snow was wind-affected, as it could be so soft. On Saturday as the snow was falling, natural and human-triggered avalanches were reported in the neighboring West North zone, which had similar snowfall amounts (OBSERVATION)

    Search for any clues indicating recent drifting, including very subtle ripples, or just-barely-heavier feeling snow, if that. Visual clues may be your best indicator that a slope has been wind-affected. Avoid these wind-drifted, steep slopes. 

    (3/15/2025)

    Very subtle and hard-to-see wind drifted terrain may be your best indicator that a slope is wind drifted and should be avoided. 

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

A convergence zone could target the area, leaving us with a few inches of snow overnight and a couple more during the day. If the sun pops out from behind the clouds, rollerballs or small wet loose avalanches could run on steep slopes facing directly into the sun.  An abundance of light, dry snow exists and shallow loose dry avalanches could run on steep slopes. 

After several stormy days broken up by a sunny stretch on Friday, we've had a steady stream of natural and human-triggered slab avalanches in neighboring zones. Several crown lines were visible when clouds lifted on Sunday, many of which were filled in, and in some places you can only see the evidence of debris piles hidden under the fresh layer of new snow. Most avalanches failed at the bottom of that storm layer, 1-2ft deep. On Sunday more avalanches reportedly failed in shallower storm layers. However, we've had enough unusual avalanches that are keeping us on our toes- they may be few and far between, but we wouldn't be surprised if someone were to trigger an unusual deeper-than-expected, or possibly remote, avalanche on Monday. 

If you make it into the backcountry, please share with us what you find by submitting an obervation HERE, or on the Avy App. 

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