East Slopes South

Avalanche conditions are generally safe, but still use caution on higher elevation shaded slopes that may harbor small slabs of wind-drifted snow. These are more likely to be found closer to the Cascade Crest. Expect a lean snowpack littered with travel hazards and refreezing surfaces as temperatures begin to drop on Saturday.

This past week brought light snowfall to the mountains of the East South. The Cascade Crest picked up anywhere from 4-6 inches of new snow with precipitation wrapping up on March 26th. While accumulations are likely lighter in the East South, still be mindful of wind slabs in upper elevation terrain, especially closer to White Pass, Chinook Pass, and near Mt. Adams, that may have picked up similar amounts to the Cascade Crest. On Friday, one human-triggered wind-slab avalanche was reported on a north aspect in upper-elevation terrain in the Snoqualmie Pass zone. While this avalanche isn’t close to the East South, they received a similar amount of recent snow that you may find closer to the Crest in this zone. It serves as a good reminder to look for clues of recent wind loading and be mindful of small slabs as you climb into shady, alpine terrain on Saturday.

Friday was a warm day, so expect a new sun crust on most sun-exposed slopes during the morning hours. Cooling temperatures should help limit wet-snow instabilities, but its always possible you could push very small sluffs of wet snow on steep, sun-exposed terrain during the warmth of the day this time of year. 

Your bigger may come from low snow, slick crusts, and challenging access. Last week's warm temperatures and rain, unfortunately, erased much of the lower elevation snowpack across the eastern mountains and created a mixed bag of conditions that you’ll have to contend with. Give yourself extra time to access the mountains and be sure to pack the proper gear to help you deal with firm surfaces. 

Last week’s warm spell decimated the already struggling East South snowpack. Below 5,000 ft, snow coverage is too limited for avalanche danger at this time—so we’re issuing a No Rating for lower elevations. You can still find rideable snow at middle and upper elevations. 

Are you heading out? We could use the observations in this zone. Let us know what you see by submitting an observation here or on the AvyApp.