Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

We're in store for another warm day on Sunday, with mild overnight temperatures preventing surfaces from refreezing. Wet avalanches will be possible, and rain on snow could push these slides onto all aspects. With spring warmups, the potential for cornice falls and surprising avalanches is possible, so consider this additional uncertainty when choosing terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Expect another day of warm temperatures with the potential for wet loose avalanches. If you're sinking deeply into heavy, wet snow, move to lower-angle slopes or northern aspects less exposed to the sun. A cloudy, warm night may prevent surface crusts from forming, and wet loose avalanches may be possible earlier in the day on Sunday. At lower elevations, rain may be the driving force behind wet avalanches, and you could start to see wet avalanches anywhere rain falls on dry snow. These avalanches tend to start from a single point and fan out, entraining more snow as they move downhill. Wet avalanches often initiate from steep cliffs, rocky terrain, and tree bombs, but you can also trigger them by skiing or riding in steep terrain. Rollerballs, pinwheels, and sticky snow are all signs that the likelihood of wet loose avalanches is increasing. These avalanches may be more predictable than slab avalanches, but they carry a lot of mass and can push you into terrain traps or over cliffs.

    Along with wet loose avalanches, large cornices may begin to fail with the warming temperatures. When they fail, these large overhanging blocks of snow are hazards on their own but pack enough weight that they could also trigger slab avalanches on the slopes below. 

    (11/24/2022)

    Rollerballs like this are often indicators telling you the snow surface is getting weak. 

    Photo: Robert Hahn

Avalanche Discussion

Wet loose avalanches occurred on the steep slopes of Pinegrass Ridge on Saturday and likely in many other places throughout the zone. Due to recent warm temperatures, you'll likely find variable travel below 5000'. However, you may still find some good riding conditions in more sheltered areas on the north side of the compass.

Last Sunday, NWAC forecaster Joe Dellaporta traveled to the Gold Hill Ridge area in the western part of the East South. They observed a deep snowpack, stubborn wind slabs, and large cornices. You can check out the full observation here. 

In neighboring East Central, as the skies cleared on Saturday, observers saw some very large crowns from natural avalanches above 7000ft on northern aspects in alpine terrain. We are uncertain about the layer these slides ran on. However, they appear to be primarily in wind-loaded, high-elevation, exposed terrain. Older crust layers may be the culprit, so consider the consequences of a cornice fall triggering a very large avalanche at these higher elevations. 

If you get out into the mountains of the East South, let us know what you see by submitting an observation!

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