Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Feb 10th, 2019–Feb 11th, 2019

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Alpine

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches possible, human triggered probable.

Regions

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More snow will continue to keep the backcountry dangerous in the West-South zone Monday. The snow totals are growing deep and it may not matter what kind of avalanche you trigger. Any avalanche could be large enough to bury you. Stay off of open slopes greater than 35 degrees.

Discussion

Snow and Avalanche Discussion

We received a report of another skier triggered avalanche on East Peak Sunday. This is the second avalanche on that mountain in 2 days. Both were on SW-W aspects between 5800’ and 6200’ and occurred on more standard ascent routes. This highlights the unusual loading pattern of the recent east winds.

We want to call attention to the odd weather lately. It has been extremely cold for a long time. The snow is falling at very high snow-to-water ratios. This isn’t our normal Northwest pattern. In short: unusual weather often leads to unusual avalanches. Don’t get lulled to sleep an fall into normal travel habits. Keep your head on a swivel and watch the snow around you. If you see anything strange or surprising, that may be the snowpack telling you it’s ready to break.

Snowpack Discussion

New Regional Synopsis Coming Soon

Problems

Storm Slabs

Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.