Boletín de aludes

Banner Summit

Sawtooth Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Thu
Alta montaña
1 · Débil
Límite del bosque
1 · Débil
Bajo el límite
1 · Débil
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 7 years ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Sizeable avalanches are unlikely and most slopes are safe. Watch for isolated wind drifts and cornices at and just below ridgelines.

Problemas de aludes

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Unlikely
    Tamaño
    1–2

    Last weekend's wind and snowfall formed small drifts and slabs near exposed ridgelines. The relatively small, lingering slabs could remain touchy where they overlie hard, wind-polished surfaces or crusts. Where you find the slabs, expect variable sensitivity to your weight; some will be well bonded to the surfaces beneath them, but some could crack and slide. You're most likely to encounter this problem at upper elevations. Watch for smooth pillows of stiffer snow, dunes, or wave-like patterns on the surface. 

    Cornices grew in the past couple weeks (see photo below), forming curls and overhangs in some exposed terrain. Give any large features a wide berth. 

    ADDITIONAL DISCUSSIONTriggering a 4-6 foot thick persistent slab avalanche has become very unlikely. It would take a dose of very bad luck, but it may be possible to trigger one of these monsters in very steep (over 35 degrees), wind-swept, alpine terrain.  

Avalanche Discussion

We have a few problems to consider today. Fortunately, they can be managed fairly easily with standard safe travel procedures. Let's have a quick review:

Wind Slabs: As described above, you may find small wind slabs that formed over the weekend. They should be isolated, small, and easy to spot and avoid.  

Cornices:  The photo below shows some large, overhanging cornice growth near Copper Mountain. Cornices are unpredictable beasts and can break much farther from the "lip" or edge than you'd expect. Give them some space, especially if you aren't excited about the prospects of rolling down whatever slope is beneath them. 

Loose Snow: Loose snow avalanches are typically divided into dry and wet categories, but there are a hundred shades of grey between these two. Today, we may see small slides that fit in the wet/dry loose snow avalanche boxes as well as slides that blur the lines. If you are skiing or riding in very steep, shady terrain, dry loose slides are on the table. As you wrap around to the southern half of the compass, sluffs that start because the sun is warming the snow surface but end up picking up dry snow underneath as they travel downslope are also possible. Today, both natural and human triggered, "sun-induced" sluffs are possible.

All of these problems are simpler to manage than persistent slab avalanches but can be consequential in the wrong terrain. If you are caught and carried through rocks and cliffs, it doesn't really matter if the avalanche is large enough to bury you or not. Have fun in the sun, but be aware of the terrain above and below you.  

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