Boletín de aludes

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Sun
Alta montaña
2 · Moderado
Límite del bosque
1 · Débil
Bajo el límite
1 · Débil
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 4 years ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Expect chances to trigger small windslabs at higher elevations with a few inches of new snow and continued breezy conditions. Gather information on how wind drifted snow reacts before comitting to steep slopes. Near and below treeline you are less likely to trigger any avalanches. 

Problemas de aludes

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1–1.5

    A few inches of new snow may add to some of the recently formed slabs at the highest elevations of the zone. Any triggered slabs are likely to be shallow, but theres also a chance that avalanches break deeper, on weak snow overlying the slick MLK crust and unlikely chances on a layer of buried surface hoar from early January. Be especially cautious near ridges, on open steep slopes, and convex rollers in the alpine that could serve as likely trigger points. You can identify slabs through textured surfaces, and stiffer snow. With these, look for signs of instability as you travel such as long shooting cracks, and consider using small test slopes to gain more information on how the snow is reacting. If you observe signs of unstable snow, steer around steeper or more consequential features.

    Example of actively building drifts. Notice the fracture near the edge of the wind lip, indicating touchy conditions. Photo: Matt Primomo

Avalanche Discussion

The colder air and a few inches of fresh snow should bring winter back for the time being. Be observant on what the weather is doing, and expect more elevated danger if you find the new snow piling up more than this forecast. The warmer temperatures and sun of this past week have likely created crusts and firm, refrozen surfaces in many areas. Depending on where you go, equipment for firm or icy conditions may be nice. 

We've been tracking a layer of buried surface hoar from January 4th that has caused numerous human triggered and widely propagating avalanches over the past month. On Tuesday, I went to the Entiat River Drainage to investigate. I found the layer to be consistent throughout the terrain, and was producing sudden collapse test results. A crust from MLK weekend caps this layer, and in most places it's fairly stout. However in some areas in the Entiat I found it to be quite thin. This leads us to believe there could be some very isolated areas where triggering an avalanche on this persistent layer remains possible. The last reported avalanche on this layer was on the 19th on the east side of the Stevens Pass zone on an East aspect at 6,200ft. You should still consider digging down to identify this layer if traveling in sheltered northerly aspects near and above treeline, especially if you find a thin or non-existent crust about 1ft down. 

Regiones cubiertas