Central Cascades

Early season conditions exist. For anyone venturing into the high country to eke out some lines, be aware of rocks, and other early season hazards. 

After a recent spell of warm conditions, snow is patchy even at upper elevations. Backcountry users have already been getting out over the last month to take advantage of early season snow. Now we are in a holding pattern wating for more snow to fall.

For anyone venturing up high to get a few turns, be aware of crevasses on the glaciers. Even our small glaciers here in the central Oregon Cascades can produce sizable cracks that may now have thin snow bridges concealing them. 

Now is a good time to get the skis, snowboards, and machines tuned up and ready to go once the snow starts flying. A little dryland training never hurts :)

A note on COAC operations: We will be issuing avalanche forecasts for Friday through Monday from now until the end of April. As you get out into the backcountry we encourage you to submit observations on the COAC website. Your field reports help us a lot. Remember, they don't need to be technical in nature. A general description of what you were seeing and where goes a long way. If you see avlanches happen or come upon signs of previous avalanches, that is very useful information. A few notes on where you were riding including aspect and elevation (above treeline, near treeline, below treeline) helps make the information much more relevant. Pictures and videos are greatly appreciated. 

COAC's longterm goal is to have avalanche forecasts 7 days/week. We don't have the budget for that right now. Support your local avalanche center.

Cheers and wishing everyone a great season!