Eastside Region

Triggering an avalanche is unlikely, but not impossible. Be on the lookout for wind-stiffened and cracking snow surfaces on slopes adjacent to ridgelines, in couloirs, and mid-slope gullies. Getting knocked off your feet or hitting a shallowly buried obstacle in steep or exposed terrain can still have severe consequences. 

Our snowpack is generally stable to start off 2025. Observers mostly noted small, stubborn wind slabs just after Sunday's small storm. As the snowpack has experienced more days of warm temperatures and high pressure, surface instabilities are trending toward unreactive. Forecasters in the June Lake area observed a pretty quiet winter world yesterday, trying to seek out any instability and being largely unsuccessful. 

Heading out into the mountains for the first time this year, remind yourself there is still a possibility of kicking off isolated, small pockets of snow. Before committing to steep and exposed terrain, be sure to evaluate the snowpack on a slope-by-slope basis. While these slides are unlikely to be able to bury a person, getting knocked off your feet in the exposed terrain many of us like to play in can still have dire consequences. Shallowly buried rocks and variable, wind-sculpted, and crusty surfaces also create a fall hazard to keep in mind at the top of a run. Following best travel practices like keeping eyes on your partners, skiing one at a time from safe zone to safe zone in big terrain, and creating margins for uncertainty is always a good call.

Happy 2025 from all of us on the ESAC team!