Mt Hood

Uncontrolled falls remain your primary concern as winds keep stout crusts icy. Ensure you have the skills and tools to self-arrest. Rockfall becomes a concern from the slopes above you as direct sunshine melts shallow snowpack areas.

Multiple climbing rescues highlight how hazardous the firm crusts are at all elevations of Mt. Hood, but particularly the upper mountain. 

Observers in White River Canyon reported very icy conditions in the morning with surfaces softening later in the day. Wet loose and glide activity has not been observed for close to a week although cracks provide evidence for continued settlement of the snowpack. The sun, rain, and mild temperatures have taken their toll with snowpack melt-out increasing on sun-exposed slopes. 

Slightly cooler temperatures combined with increased winds maintain firm, icy crusts slower to soften and maintains non-avalanche risks as your primary safety concern if you plan to ski, ride, or climb Mt Hood:

1. Falls may result in uncontrollable slides on any aspect. Consider your ability to self-arrest and the tools you have to do so before traveling on an icy slope. Crampons, whippets, or an ice ax may be adviseable.
2. Many ridgelines are melted out to the bare ground, and rockfall has been frequent in several canyons recently. Stay alert when traveling, and identify areas where you may be exposed to rockfall from above.
3. Some cornices remain a hazard with continued sun and warm temperatures. Give any remaining cornices a wide birth on ridges and don't linger on the slopes beneath them.
4. Many creeks have reopened and snow bridges continue to collapse. Take time to make a careful assessment if crossing any creeks.
5. The wet loose cycle has largely run its course. Any additional wet loose activity would be small human triggered slides in extreme, rocky terrain late in the afternoon. Monitor snow surfaces on sunny slopes as they thaw throughout the day, and move to shadier aspects or low-angle terrain if the snow is deep and slushy.

Two wet avalanche cycles and two weeks of predominantly above freezing temperatures have transitioned the snowpack to be able to handle more unseasonable warmth. During this time, the overall height of snow decreased by nearly 3ft at the Mt Hood Meadows Base weather station (5380ft) since January 6th. Many ridgelines are snow-free and steep rocky slopes continue to melt out. Travel conditions have been challenging recently, with firm and icy surfaces everywhere. If you time your travel well, SW-S-SE aspects will likely transition to smooth corn by late morning or afternoon. Check out this observation for more information on conditions from Tuesday in White River Canyon.

The next storm cycle should commence on late Sunday. Please help us monitor snow surface conditions by submitting an observation.