Lawinenlagebericht

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
Auf der Karte ansehen

Lawinengefahr

Wed
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
Open full map
Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 2 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

While many surfaces may feel firm and icy, pockets of unstable wind drifted snow still exist in alpine terrain above 7500 ft. Look for smooth, pillowy surfaces to help you pinpoint where wind slabs may lurk. Increasing freezing levels and sun may reinvigorate wet avalanches and other warming-induced mountain hazards like ice fall along solar slopes.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There will be two types of wind slabs to think about and manage on Tuesday.

    1). The first are the fresh wind slabs that formed from our recent east winds. These thinner slabs should only range from 6-12 inches thick, but they’ll be the easiest to trigger since they rest over a slick icy crust. Look for these on atypical aspects, like west facing slopes (NW-W-SW) or in terrain depressions. 

    2). The second type of wind slab that I'm still thinking about are the older slabs that formed during our recent active weather. These larger, hard wind slabs primarily lurk on your typical wind loaded N-E-SE aspects. We have good confirmation that many of these naturally ran on our Jan 5th warm-up. Several of these avalanches broke 1-3 ft thick and propagated widely across terrain features (check out the photo gallery for more info). We’re unsure what these slabs ran on, but the overall width of the crowns has me carefully assessing these leeward aspects above 7000 ft for a couple more days.

    Winds are forecast to decrease, so blowing snow may not always be obvious on Tuesday. Look for surface clues like textured, rippled snow or pillowy slabs as evidence of recent wind loading. You can use small test slopes or snowpack tests to help you check the reactivity of these slabs. Shooting cracks, drum-like snow, or snowpack collapsing are good reasons to dial it back. 

    (1/6/2025)

    Shooting cracks in wind-drifted snow on Monday. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

  • Loose Wet

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

    Rain on snow has wettend the snowpack below 7500 ft. The initial wet loose cycle has likely run its course, but warming temperatures may reinvigorate wet loose activity along solar slopes on Tuesday. Rollerballs, pinwheels, rime shedding, and deep boot penetrations in wet snow are signs that the surface snow is warming and weakening. 

    (12/9/2024)

    Cliffy, south-facing terrain are common places to see signs of warming and wet avalanche activity. 

    Photo: Toby Swimmer (Baker Backcountry)

Avalanche Discussion

The forecast staff received good confirmation that it rained to roughly 7500 ft on the south side of Mt Hood on January 5th. This unfortunately left us with wet, rain runneled surfaces down low and slick conditions at and above treeline on the mountain. These slick surfaces present skiers and climbers with a long, sliding fall hazard. So be sure to pack the crampons, ice axe, and the ability to arrest a fall for upper elevation travel.

Above the snow line conditions do improve, but east winds have created variable, inconsistent snow surfaces. These wind directions have stripped many slopes and deposited a garden variety of thin slabs and ribbons on softer snow across west-facing, wind sheltered terrain. 

If you get out into the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation. 

Thanks for reading. 

Abgedeckte Regionen