Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Upper elevation wind-loaded pockets are where you are most likely to trigger an avalanche on Tuesday. If you see obvious signs of recent loading and thicker deposits of snow, consider steering around these locations on steep slopes. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    You're most likely to trigger an avalanche on a small, recently formed wind slab. The weekend's low density snow probably saw some redistribution with wind at upper elevations on Monday, and a couple new inches of snow and light to moderate winds are forecasted during the day, with slabs continuing to form on Tuesday. Most wind slabs are probably small, and it is most likely in isolated pockets that you could find a reactive slab.

    Avalanches may remain small in size, but keep your surroundings in mind if you venture onto steep slopes. Have an escape plan if you trigger an avalanche. Be wary of even a small avalanche if it could carry you into a terrain trap. If you trigger a slab avalanche it would likely be on slopes with terrain features like convex rollovers, gully walls, or around cliffs and rock outcroppings. Look for blowing snow, changes in snow consistency, or visual clues like cornices and wind-scoured ridgelines to identify areas of wind slab. Steer around these wind-loaded locations if they are on steep slopes.

    If you are in doubt about the conditions, stick to lower angle terrain. As information is limited, consider checking the neighboring forecast depending on where you are in the zone. 

    (1/2/2023)

    A small human triggered winds slab avalanche which occurred in the west south zone on Monday, similar to what you might see in wind loaded pockets on Tuesday. 1-2ft deep and 40ft wide. W, 6300ft, SS-AS-D1-R2-U 

    Photo: Barrett Gray

Avalanche Discussion

On Saturday small and large human-triggered slab avalanches were reported in neighboring zones. Avalanches mainly failed midway down the new snow sitting above the Christmas crust. Neighboring zones are all reporting improving strength in the layers which were failing earlier.  There's still a small chance you could trigger a deeper avalanche on this layer about a foot deep, especially at higher elevations. You'll have to be in just the right wind-loaded spot to trigger one of these larger avalanches, but keep it in mind if you're stepping out into larger, more wind-affected terrain. 

About 1-2 feet of snow sits over the Christmas crust. Low-density snow surfaces were affected by wind in many upper elevation areas on Monday. South-facing slopes saw intense sun on Sunday, and the previously low-density surface snow transitioned to a crust on steep south-facing terrain. 

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