Quick report
Snow surfacs are variable out there. Crust and preserved powder are the main dishes. No red flags observed below or near treeline. Active wind blowing snow was observed above treeline and the upper mountain. Incoming storm tonight will bring increasing wind and new snow.
No instability or red flags today. Finding older avalanches from recent round of wintry weather.Weather
- Air Temp
- 26
- Cloud Cover
- overcast
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Recent Snowfall
- 0
- Snow Avail For Transport
- moderate amounts
Cool temps, incoming storm, gradually increasing clouds and wind. Observed blowing snow above treeline along ridges and higher terrain. Near and below treeline, wind was calm.
Snowpack
170 inches of snow on the ground at treeline, Old Ski Bowl. Nearly 10 inches of settlement since the 16th. It's that time of year when the snowpack changes quickly. Yesterday's full day of sun has created widely variable conditions. A sun crust is widespread at lower elevations on many aspects, and widespread on southerly aspects at mid elevations. Above 8,500 feet, the crust begins to dissipate. Light to moderate wind affect observed above treeline with some scouring over ridges and moraines. Did not observe any icy conditions. Overall, the snowpack is set up well.
The buried graupel layer from last week produced one large avalanche on the west aspect of Gray Butte. We have not seen any other avalanches on this weak layer.
Avalanche
- Size
- D2.5 R3
- Type
- HS
- Aspect
- W
- Trigger
- N
- Elevation
- 7680 ft
No recent avalanches, though found a hefty slab on Gray Butte that likely released this past weekend on Sunday, 3-16-25