Avalanche Forecast

If you travel above the recent rain line, you will find significant recent snow. An inch or two of water equivalent fell in this zone Wednesday through Wednesday night with 3-6” in the past week. Fluctuating freezing levels and moderate winds have left us with large wind slabs that you are most likely to trigger on very steep or unsupported slopes. On Use visual clues like fresh cornices and snow drifts to identify terrain over 35 degrees that you want to avoid. Cornices may have grown along the ridgelines. If you see larger or overhanging cornices, consider your exposure to in the event that cornice fall triggers a wind slab on the slope below.

If you experience sun breaks or strong filtered sunshine, expect loose wet avalanches from steep, rocky, sunny slopes. These avalanches may occur naturally during sunny periods. Don’t let this easier to predict avalanche problem catch you off guard. Don’t linger in confining locations like gullies and near creeks, where even small loose avalanche can bury you deeply. At higher elevations, these avalanches might be large. If you begin to see natural loose avalanches, consider avoiding traveling under or through larger avalanche prone slopes.