East Slopes South

Steep slopes above treeline are primed for human triggered avalanches and some could be very large and break into old snow near the ground. Tuesday will be a relative lull in the storm pattern, but the snowpack is still adjusting to its heavy new load. Choose conservative terrain, staying off of and out from underneath large open slopes.

Below 5500 ft, we expect that warming and rain followed by cool temperatures have created a crust, so we are focused on the upper elevations where deep dry, large wind slabs, and potentially persisten layers have not been capped. As an indicator of this transition, Green Lake at 5920 ft made it into the mid-30s for several hours, but still added 8" to their snow depth in the last 24 hours, indicating even larger snow totals above treeline. The rain at mid-elevations probably created a natural avalanche cycle on Monday.

Your greatest avalanche concern on Tuesday are wind slabs from the recent storm, particuarly due to moderate to strong W winds in post-frontal westerly flow Monday night. You could trigger thick and cohesive windslabs on lee slopes. Look for shooting cracks and other signs of instability such as whumphing collapses or recent avalanches. If a steep open slope appears to have a firm or hollow sounding snow and is near or above treeline, avoid it, and steer clear of going underneath them. Cornices may easily break off and trigger avalanches on the slopes below as well. Any shallower slab in the new snow could break into deeper weak layers in the snowpack, creating a much larger avalanche. There are a number of potential weak layers to be concerned about, so it will be best to stay off of, and out from underneath steep wind loaded slopes. 

With all the deep new snow, loose dry avalanches may run easily on Tuesday. Look for these fan-shaped slides that start from a point (also known as point releases). In steep terrain, these could entrain lots of snow, and create large avalanches.

The neighboring East Central zone is highly concerned about a persistent slab avalanche problem, which may exist at upper elevations of this zone as well. A heavy new slab from Monday's dump is sitting over weak, sugary snow and crusts from early December. Don't trust big, open slopes near and above treeline. Keep your distance from slopes 35 degrees and steeper that are big enough to produce a large avalanche. The most dangerous slopes will be steep, open starting zones, but unsuspecting slopes at mid elevations are candidates for these deep avalanches as well. Look out for obvious signs of instability like recent deep avalanches, whumphing collapses, or shooting cracks. The next couple of days will be a good time to stay off of steep, open slopes as the storms continue to stress these deep weak layers. The Wenatchee Mountains warrant extra caution with such a heavy new load, as the snowpack was previously shallow and fairly weak.

Snow cover at upper elevations is increasing but remains shallow below treeline and at all elevations further east and away from the Cascade Crest. Typical early season hazards are still in play and you'll likely encounter open creeks and exposed stumps and rocks. 

Check the media gallery for updated photos of Mt Aix, Mt Darland and Pinegrass Ridge taken from White Pass.

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, continue to follow the latest guidance from local, state, and federal health officials. Avoid unnecessary risks that could impact first responders and stress medical resources.  Wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, and consider recreating closer to home.

MEDIA