Olympics

 Avalanche conditions in the Olympics are generally safe, but continue to travel with normal precautions. Firm and breakable crusts remain the biggest nemesis. In sheltered areas these crusts might be breaking down just enough to improve riding conditions, or you might find some softening of surfaces in direct sunshine.

Following mid-week warmth, temperatures plummeted and bottomed out around 17F on Friday morning. They have been gradually increasing since that time, reaching 30F Sunday afternoon. NPS rangers reported snow surfaces softening on direct S faces in the early afternoon. With similar temperatures and slightly increased NNW winds, expect similar softening on S or SW aspects on Sunday. As temperatures gradually warm over the next 5 days, these aspects have the potential for improved riding conditions...we just don't know whether they will soften sufficiently tomorrow.

Conditions on shaded aspects haven't changed much since Friday. The last precipitation (on 1/10) extended surficial crusts up to at least 6500 ft on all aspects as 0.25" of snow water equivalent fell at temperatures between 34 and 32F as rain at Hurricane Ridge proper.  Firm crusts dominate W-S-E aspects. A report from Mt Ellinor on Thursday illustrates that widespread firm crusts extend to at least 5700 ft in elevation in the SE Olympics as well. Steep terrain in this area also held frozen debris from old wet loose avalanches and frozen wind ripples along the ridgelines. While these crusts are generally edgeable, take extra time to navigate firm slopes and assess your ability to arrest a potentially consequential fall.

On N or NE aspects, you might expect to find degraded surface hoar continuing to grow atop a 1 cm (or less) very friable crust, then approximately 4" of lower-density dry snow atop denser old snow. Boot penetration on these shaded aspects was reported to be around 12-14" deep. 

Hurricane Ridge holds a 45" snowpack at the weather station, but you can expect to find far less on wind-stripped ridgelines and on sun-affected slopes which in many cases are starting to expose bare ground. Below 4000 ft, expect limited snow coverage with exposed creeks and other obstacles.

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