Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

To reduce the odds of triggering a large avalanche, avoid large open slopes that face NW-NE, especially if the wind has drifted snow into stiffer slabs. Wind stiffened surfaces, shooting cracks, or loud whumphs are great reasons to head for lower-angled slopes. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2

    Triggering a 1-2 foot thick avalanche remains a concerning possibility, especially in areas with recent wind loading or in the western parts of the zone like Nelson Ridge, the east side of Chinook Pass or up the South Fork of the Tieiton. If you travel in areas further east, dig down to see if the overlying snow above a weak layer is stiff and cohesive. Snowpack tests or a simple hand hardness profile can help you identify strong over weak layering. 

    Unfortunately, this problem is not straightforward to manage. You may or may not get feedback before triggering a surprising avalanche. The best tactic during this time will be to avoid wind loaded terrain that faces NW-NE and steer around steep, open slopes in more sheltered terrain. Pay attention to snow stiffness and texture. If you find yourself traveling through wind stiffened pockets, you may be traveling over the avalanche problem. Shooting cracks, audible whumphs, or unstable snowpack tests are great reasons to dial it back. 

    (2/3/2025)

    A skier triggered persistent slab avalanche near White Pass. This slide released over a 100ft wide and 2-3ft deep. WNW, 5600ft SS-ASu-D2-R2-O

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

You’ll likely observe fewer signs of instability as we head into a cold, dry stretch. However, that doesn’t mean you can’t trigger an avalanche large enough to kill you that fails on the January Drought Layer (JDL) facets.

While we haven't seen any confirmed avalanches on it in this zone, we have a short distance away in the West South zone. You can read more about those by checking out the West South forecast.

 I was out on Gold Hill Ridge just east of Chinook Pass this past Friday and found this JDL weak layer in most locations I dug. However, I found this weak layer most concerning on north- east aspects where I received propagating test results. You can check out my full observation here. 

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