Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Mon
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 4 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

You can trigger an avalanche in wind-drifted snow on Sunday. You’ll find these wind-drifted pockets on the lee side of ridges, below cornices, and in the alpine. Consider steering around steep wind-loaded slopes if you notice active drifting or see pillow-like slabs forming.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    A few more inches of new snow combined with light/moderate south and west winds should create some shallow wind slabs. Wind directions will shift from south to west and with this will come a small uptick in wind speeds.  

    You’ll likely see blowing snow during the afternoon hours, so this should make it easy for you to choose simple terrain. If you see pillow-like slabs or wind-stiffened surfaces, you likely found a wind slab. Cracks shooting out from your skis or sled are in-your-face signs of instability. So if you see these signs, consider sticking to ridges and  more sheltered areas. 

     

    (1/22/2023)

    You may notice shallow instabilties like this on Sunday. Look for wind-stiffened snow, cracking,  or snow sliding easily to help you idenitfy areas of concern. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

The east-south is finally in a stretch of more wintry weather! With this, expect an uptick in avalanche danger. 

As the Sunday progresses, wind speeds will ramp up, so you may find more dangerous conditions above treeline during the later hours of day. New snow will actively drift, which may form reactive slabs at these higher elevations. As you travel, be observant of wind transport and how the snow feels under your sled/feet. Be ready to adjust your travel plans if you start noticing signs of instability or see visual evidence of wind drifting. 

New snow will be falling on a variety of surfaces across the zone. In more exposed areas or sunny aspects (SW-S-SE), new snow will be falling on a melt-freeze crust. On more shaded slopes, snow will be falling on settled powder and potentially weak, sugary surface snow from our dry stretch. 

Reports from the north and west continue to trickle in pointing at near-surface facets existing on many shaded aspects. As new snow piles up, dig down to see how the new snow is bonding with the old snow surface. 

If you get out into the East-South, please let us know by submitting an observation!

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