Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

Increasing southeast winds and available snow for transport will create shallow wind slabs that you will need to navigate around at mid and upper elevations.  Due to the east winds, you may find these wind-drifted slabs forming in unusual locations such as west facing slopes.  Look for wind textured surfaces, pillow-like slabs of snow, and sharp cornices forming to help you identify wind loaded areas. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Available snow for transport along with increasing SE winds will create shallow slabs of wind drifted snow at mid and upper elevations. Due to the east winds associated with this front, you may find wind slabs forming in unusual locations such as on west facing slopes.  An example of this is the recent skier-triggered D1 hard slab in the nearby west-south zone (near morse creek), where a skier triggered a wind slab on a west facing slope in a more sheltered area (avalanche observation here). You may encounter similar conditions on the western edges of the zone.  

    As wind slabs grow in size and distribution in the coming days, it will be paramount to assess how the new snow is bonding to the old snow surface.  Use small test slopes and hand pits to gauge how sensitive the newly forming slabs are.  Look and feel for firm over soft layering, hollow-sounding snow, and cracks shooting out from your feet or sled. Use visual clues such as looking for wind textured snow or sharp conices forming to help you identify wind loaded terrain. 

     

    (1/2/2023)

    A small human triggered winds slab in the Crystal Backcountry, 1-2ft deep and 40ft wide. W, 6300ft, HS-AS-D1-R2-U 

    Photo: Barrett Gray

Avalanche Discussion

Observers in the East-South ( observation here ) and in neighboring zones to the north and west have been finding widespread surface hoar and near-surface facets, and in some cases sitting on a rain crust.  As we slowly build more of a slab of new snow on top of this, it will be critical to assess how the new snow is bonding to the old snow surface. 

On Saturday, NWAC Forecaster Katie Warren traveled into the Ahtanum Meadows area.  She observed approximately 7 inches of new snow at lower elevations and upwards of 15 inches at higher elevations.  This new snow sits on a variety of surfaces from dirt on lower elevation southerly slopes  to a stout rain crust that formed on Christmas in most other areas.  She also observed an old crown of a small wind slab avalanche that failed on the new/old interface about 1’ deep.  Overall, Katie found variable conditions from aspect to aspect, with southerly aspects holding very little snow and higher elevation, shaded aspects holding a deeper, more layered snowpack.

If you get out into the East-South, let us know what you see by submitting a public observation. 

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