Avalanche forecast

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

At upper elevations, you could still find isolated pockets where you may trigger an avalanche in wind-drifted snow. Steep slopes below sharp ridgelines are the most likely places to trigger one of these small slabs. Use caution in exposed, confined, rocky terrain where a small avalanche could have high consequences. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Look for deep, stiff drifts below corniced ridgelines or textured surfaces to identify wind-loaded slopes. You can use small convexities within lower-angle terrain to assess how wind-affected snow reacts to a load. Steep exposed ridgelines with confined rocky features are likely the most suspect places to trigger an avalanche. While we expect most slides to be small, the snowpack is shallow, and this type of terrain can carry higher consequences if you are carried into or over rocks and cliffs. Make frequent assessments of how wind-affected snow reacts before committing to larger, more complex terrain. 

    (11/15/2023)

    An example of a small, skier-triggered avalanche in steep, confined terrain from a previous season at Washington Pass, 7200ft, 

Avalanche Discussion

Over the past few days, the East North zone has been in a trickle-in pattern, with modest amounts of new snow falling daily, totaling around 8-10 inches. While this is a generally good pattern for snow stability, the wind still formed small wind slabs at upper elevations. These aren't widespread or particularly sensitive, but it is important to keep this in mind if you're considering pushing into steeper, more consequential terrain. 

On Sunday, an NWAC forecaster in the Washington Pass area reported a generally stable snowpack with limited wind slab formation at upper elevations. The 12/7 melt-freeze crust is buried 8-10 inches deep and is associated with weak, faceted snow above and below this crust. In western parts of the zone, the 12/7 crust is much more robust, while it's thin and brittle in areas further east. Since there isn't much snow overlaying this interface, it isn't currently contributing to any avalanche concerns. However, we'll continue monitoring this layer going forward to see if it becomes problematic with additional snow load.  

Take care as you travel - many early-season obstacles, such as trees, rocks, logs, and creeks, are exposed or sometimes barely hidden in areas and elevations with low snow.

You can contribute to the avalanche forecast. Please let us know what you see in the mountains by submitting an observation. 

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