Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Fri
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Veraltet — dieser Lagebericht ist 3 years ago abgelaufen. Du siehst vergangene Verhältnisse, nicht den aktuellen Bericht.

Kernpunkte

It remains possible for you to trigger avalanches in pockets of wind drifted snow on Thursday. Steer around slopes that appear wind textured and rounded. As the day heats up, consider moving off of steep solar aspects especially if you notice rollerballs or pinwheels.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Loose Wet

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

    Pretty straightforward here… the sun will make an appearance and make the snow surface wet and weak on solar slopes.You’ll likely see these fan shaped slides on steep solar slopes, especially near rocks and cliffs. Consider steering around these areas if you notice rollerballs and pinwheels. These are often indicators telling you that the snow surface is getting weak and that larger loose wet avalanches may soon follow. This problem will likely be more prominent at those mid-elevations (and higher) that hold soft snow at the surface.  These should be small, but still consider the consequence if they push you into a terrain trap such as trees or a gully bottom. 

    (11/24/2022)

    Rollerballs like this are often indicators telling you the snow surface is becoming weak and wet. 

    Photo: Robert Hahn

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The past days have offered all the ingredients( new snow, strong winds, and long duration of wind speeds) needed for some hard, stubborn wind slabs to form. And now to mix things up - winds are shifting more easterly - so you may notice these wind drifted slabs forming in less common areas like west aspects. 

    As you travel, be in tune with changing snow depths and texture. You’ll typically find these slabs lurking on the downwind side of ridges, under cornices, below cliff bands, and near the top of chutes/couloirs. Fortunately, this is an easy avalanche problem to navigate around. You can use visual clues to help you identify slopes of concern. Look for active loading or slopes that appear textured and fat. Pillow-like slabs or ripples at the snow surface all indicate wind loaded terrain. As always, pump the brakes if you notice shooting cracks or hear snow that sounds hollow like a drum. 

    (2/28/2023)

    Look for pillow-like slabs, dunes, and wind textured snow to help you identify slopes of concern. 

    Photo: Katie Warren

Avalanche Discussion

Wind speeds are finally forecast to relax over the next 24 hours. High pressure should dominate the weather over the next couple of days with a slight increase in temperature. Look out for changing conditions as temperatures rise. The sun is quite powerful this time of year, so you may notice moist snow forming on more shady aspects as the days heats up. Continue to make deliberate and informed travel decisions. As always, if something doesn’t feel right, don't be afraid to pull the plug and return another day. 

 You’ll likely find variable travel below 6000’ due to recent warm temperatures and mixed precipitation. However, you may still find some good riding conditions in more sheltered areas on the north side of the compass. 

On Monday, I traveled to the Gold Hill Ridge area in western part of the East South. My partner and I observed a deep snowpack, stubborn wind slabs, and large cornices. You can check out the full observation here. 

In neighboring East Central, as the skies cleared on Saturday, observers saw some very large crowns from natural avalanches above 7000ft on northern aspects in alpine terrain. We are uncertain about the layer these slides ran on. However, they appear to be primarily in wind-loaded, high-elevation, exposed terrain. Older crust layers may be the culprit, so consider the consequences of a very large avalanche and avoid steep wind-loaded terrain at these higher elevations. 

If you get out into the mountains of the East South, let us know what you see by submitting an observation!

 

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