Olympics

There are a few things to keep in mind even with Low avalanche danger expected on Saturday.  If you find wet punchy snow, avoid extreme terrain where even a small slide could be harmful.  If you observe blowing snow at upper elevations, be on the lookout for small wind slabs near and below ridgelines.   

2-4" of new snow on Thursday night gave a fresh wintry coating to Hurricane Ridge.  While the new snow was welcome it did not change the overall story of a well below normal snowpack throughout the Olympic mountains. 

Low avalanche danger means that while generally safe conditions are expected, you can find and trigger small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain features.  That will be the name of the game on Saturday.  Rising freezing levels will battle cloudy skies and increasing upper elevation winds to limit the effects of warming on new snow.  If you find wet punchy snow, avoid very steep terrain where you could trigger a small wet loose avalanche, especially near terrain traps like cliffs, or above areas with exposed obstacles.  Small wet loose avalanches could run further than you expect above a stout crust.  Similarly, if winds pick up as expected, you may see blowing snow along the higher peaks and ridgelines. Be on the lookout for areas of small wind slabs forming directly below lee slopes. 

A warm and wet period from last January through early February did a number on the snowpack,  melting out some aspects and lower elevations and forming a widespread stout early February crust in areas that retained snow. While this week was thankfully more winter-like temperature wise, the Hurricane Ridge area picked up very little new snow (graph in gallery).  Also in the gallery you can see photos of small to large wet loose avalanches that released naturally last weekend in the E-SE parts of the range that had more snow above the early February crust.  These slides may be covered by a few inches of snow from this week and are likely rock hard and worth avoiding. 

Be prepared for off-trail travel to have an extra adventure element with intermittent snow cover, open creeks, trees, rocks, etc. Carry the proper tools to self-arrest a fall if traveling in alpine terrain or anywhere firm and slick crusts could increase the consequences of a fall.

NWAC may issue a gray "No Rating" for an elevation band when there is not enough snow to present an avalanche hazard.