Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Kernpunkte

Avalanche conditions will likely change by aspect and elevation on Thursday. In sunny terrain, be leery of wet sticky snow on steep slopes. As you ascend to higher shaded aspects, look for firm pillow-like slabs, especially near ridges and rocky areas. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    Thursday looks pretty sunny around the zone. This should help the surface start to warm and could result in wet sticky snow. If you start to peel off layers, see snow shedding from rocks/trees, or notice new rollerballs, then things are heating up. Watch for small wet loose slides that often start on very steep slopes and form teardrop piles of debris. Most of these avalanches should be small, but they can easily push you into a creek or over a cliff. 

    This problem isn’t a slam dunk; cold temperatures, a cool breeze, and a surface crust will all try to delay any wet loose issues. As a result, expect less hazard in the morning while surfaces remain cold and crunchy.

    (11/25/2023)

    Example: Rollerballs off steep southern aspects above 6000ft on Mt. Daniel.

    Photo: Katie Warren

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    You may still find a few lingering wind slabs along alpine ridgelines, near the base of cliffs, and in the tops of chutes. Textured surfaces, cornices, and drifts all point toward potential wind-loaded slopes. Often in these areas, you’ll see firmer pillow-like slabs. 

    While they can frequently be easy to spot, it can be harder to tell if they will fail. Nearby small slopes can help you see how the snow reacts, but wind slabs are often variable. If you choose to travel on a wind loaded feature, avoid slopes above cliffs, rocks, and other high consequence terrain.

    (12/24/2023)

    Example: Textured surfaces and drifts along an exposed ridgeline point toward possible wind slabs. 

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

We’re getting further and further from the last week’s big storms. As a result, the avalanche danger is slowly dropping. At this point, the hazard seems to be mainly confined to features like exposed rocky ridges and slopes, and sunny aspects. Outside of these areas, the recent snow is generally right-side-up and well-settled. 

In many locations, the snow depth nearly doubled between Feb 24 and Mar 3. With so much new snow, tree wells and deep snow immersion are real dangers. Make sure to keep your partners insight. You can learn more about snow immersion suffocation here. 

Beneath all the deep new snow, a few older layers continue to stay on our minds. The Early February Crust and 2/24 interface could be found 6-12ft deep. Avalanches were reported on these layers in the West North zone during the peak of the storm. At this point, it seems unlikely an avalanche would occur. Still, if it does, it would probably be on north-facing terrain at upper elevations and take big trigger like a cornice fall or other avalanche. 

Your avalanche, snowpack, or weather observations are extremely valuable to the avalanche community. Help create a more accurate avalanche forecast by submitting your observations HERE.

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