Loose Wet
- Alta montaña
- Límite del bosque
- Bajo el límite del bosque
- Probabilidad
- Possible
- Tamaño
- 1–1.5
The weather forecast calls for mostly clear skies and increasing freezing levels up to 8500 ft by the end of the day on Friday. Unless you're on a directly north facing aspect, the snow is probably going to be susceptible to warming and weakening. Expect this wet avalanche problem to be most prominent around middle and upper elevations that have over 6 inches of snow not yet affected by previous warming.
Wet loose avalanches often occur in steep, sunlit terrain, especially if there are some adjacent cliffs or rocky terrain. The typical progression involves rollerballs and pinwheels that lead to point releases. Once these slides get going, they could run a good ways on an underlying crust. Overhead hazards such as cornices will start to become more of an issue as one warm day turns into two. Give these overhanging chunks of snow a good amount of space if they appear to be drooping, whether you're above or below them. Terrain susceptible to glide cracks may start to make themselves known as well. If you want to avoid this problem entirely, simply stick to well-shaded aspects or lower angle slopes.
(4/3/2025)
More recent wet loose avalanches in the Pinapple Pass area.
Photo: Katie Warren