Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Sun
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
2 · Mässig
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Kernpunkte

Avalanche danger is Low in the morning while the surface crust is still frozen and supportable, but will increase with daytime warming. Start early, and be ready to move away from steep slopes once snow becomes wet and punchy, or unsupportable. Expect an increase in loose wet avalanches, and snow shedding from steep rocks in the afternoon.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    The warmup is on, and wet loose avalanches should be expected over the next few days. Avalanche danger will be lowest first thing in the morning while the surface crust is still frozen and supportable, but may quickly rise with direct sun and daytime warming. Start early, and stay on colder slopes in an attempt to 'beat the heat', but pay attention to wet, gloppy snow, snow falling out of trees, rollerballs, and loose wet avalanches. 

    Loose wet activity may increase substantially in the afternoon, and slides could become large in larger terrain features near and above treeline. Slides may also become larger if they gouge into deeper layers.  Consider your terrain choice, and be ready to move off of large, steep features by the heat of the day. Even a small slide could knock you off your feet, carry you into trees, rocks, over cliffs. Take a minute or two to observe for overhead hazards or recent activity before entering complex terrain.

    There's also potential for wet slabs. These are most likely on steep, rocky and unsupported slopes that receive direct sun, and could be triggered by rollers or loose wet sluffs. The best advice is to move off of steep slopes before the snowpack becomes punchy and unsupportable. Cornices could also begin to fail. Give these hazards a wide berth and consider avoiding their potential runout while traveling, especially during the heat of the day.

    Small loose wet avalanches. Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

We're in the middle of a gradual warming trend following a couple weeks of below normal temperatures with lots of snow in April. This alone is reason enough to be cautious in the mountains this weekend. On Friday I observed some medium sized wet loose slides from very steep south facing couloirs off McClellan Peak above Ingalls Creek. I also observed a few small loose wet slides on west facing slopes near treeline off Table Mountain near Diamond Head, and in Icicle drainage. The surface crust was supportable and made for easy travel in the morning, but melted down and the snow became punchy later, especially on East facing slopes. I was able to initiate small loose wet slides below treeline on very steep slopes. On Thursday, Mission Ridge reported 7" of new snow in their upper basin, and areas near the crest picked up slightly less amounts. Some loose wet avalanches were observed on Thursday at Mission Ridge, and in some steeper chutes of Tumwater Canyon by mid afternoon (see photo below).

The spring snowpack can be straightforward, but there's an element of uncertainty regarding chances for large avalanches as we go through this warming trend. Large or surprising avalanche events may become possible in isolated areas. These could be glide avalanches, wet slabs, or massive cornice failure. Keep your senses tuned into the snow and look for signs of deteriorating snow stability. If you see large avalanches run, then conditions are dangerous so make adjustments accordingly. Over the last week and a half, 2-4 feet of snow has accumulated in the East Central. If you are out enjoying the long days in the mountains, please help us finish the season strong and submit an observation to the platform. 

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