Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

You can still trigger avalanches in wind drifted snow at upper and some middle elevations across the East South. Consider steering around wind loaded features if you notice signs of unstable snow or active drifting. Early season hazards are still abundant and can easily exacerbate the consequence of being caught in an avalanche. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    You’ll generally find these wind slabs to be thicker and more widespread at upper elevations across the eastern mountains, but they may also extend into windier middle elevation terrain as well.  Look for these slabs on the leeward side of ridges, below cornices, or adjacent to rock and cliff bands in exposed terrain. You can use visual clues like blowing snow or rippled, textured surfaces to help you identify where the wind has been at work. If you plan on traveling on wind loaded aspects, consider using quick hand pits or small test slopes to check reactivity before stepping out into steeper terrain. Cracks shooting out from your skis or machine are clear indicators that you've found an unstable slab. 

    (11/27/2024)

    Shooting cracks are clear signs of instability that you should not ignore. 

    Photo: Payton Schiff

Avalanche Discussion

We’re in for a dry pattern for the foreseeable future. Many folks will likely want to push higher into higher terrain, but please recognize that observations are limited this time of year. Ease into larger objectives slowly and take the time to evaluate the early season snowpack. 

While most locations should stay mostly cold, you could still see a few rollerballs on steep slopes with a southerly tilt. However, with the low sun angle this time of year and the variability of new snow over the recent crust, we don’t think the wet loose problem will materialize into anything significant. 

We have a healthy snowpack across the East South for late November, especially around Bumping Lake and SR 410 which received over 14 inches of new snow during the last system that wrapped up on Monday.  On Wednesday we received good confirmation from our friends at the DOT that two large natural avalanches occured in this area on SE aspects at 6000 ft,  just east of Chinook Pass. They reported these slabs likely occurred on Sunday at the tail end of the last storm cycle.  As you may expect, lower elevations are still quite shallow and access is still challenging in many areas, which this Goat Peak observation from last week highlights well. 

However, as you climb above 5000 ft you’ll find depths of 3-4 ft on average. Recent observations in the East Central near Mission Ridge and Blewett Pass have reported a strong lower and mid snowpack , while the upper 'pack consists of new snow over a crust that formed late last week. NWAC forecasters found small wind slabs failing on this crust earlier this week in the Mission Ridge area. We suspect similar conditions in the East South. 

If you get out, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation!

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