West Slopes Central

Filtered sunshine and warm temperatures may soften the snow on some southerly slopes but shouldn’t create much of a wet avalanche hazard. Instead, variable snow surfaces and plenty of early-season obstacles could create tricky travel.

We’re in for some unseasonably mild weather Friday in the West Central zone. Rising temperatures and increasing sunshine should have a limited effect on the snowpack. Even still, there are a few things to keep in mind. 

• If you see new rollerballs or find a wet, sticky snow surface, you may encounter small wet loose avalanches on similar slopes. These conditions would most likely occur at upper elevations where the snowpack saw less rain over the past week. 
• At upper elevations, you could encounter very isolated pockets of wind-loaded snow. Watch out for smooth pillow-like drifts on the lee side of exposed ridges or in the tops of chutes. 
• Blocks of snow still clinging to rocky faces could shed with little or no warning. 
• With so many obstacles to hit, even a tiny avalanche could take you for a very nasty ride. 

Wet, punchy snow, breakable crusts, firm icy surfaces, and irregular rain runnels will almost certainly make travel challenging. Add a laundry list of early-season obstacles (flowing creeks, open holes, exposed rocks, downed logs, and shrubs), and it could even become dangerous. Take it slow and give yourself extra time to deal with these demanding non-avalanche conditions. 

On Thursday, the West Central zone received around 1-2 inches of wet snow at mid and upper elevations. Slightly more may have fallen in the northern reaches of the zone. Reports from Mt Baker indicate this snow “glued in” and didn’t result in any avalanche issues.