Multiple nights without a refreeze has led to increasingly dangerous conditions at higher elevations on all aspects and especially on ones facing the sun. This feels more like full spring than February, so despite a Moderate rating, this can result in unusual avalanche conditions. With higher snowpack uncertainty, decrease your uncertainty with the terrain and consider packing a picnic to enjoy the sun and views.
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You can find fun corn riding when the sun softens the top 1" or so above a frozen crust. When the sun bakes it to a gloppy 2-4" or ankle-deep mush, natural or human-triggered wet loose are possible.
If you see rollerballs or pinwheels, or punch through the top supportable snow, move to non-avalanche terrain or shady aspects.
Photo: Sarah Jakober 2/27/25
Use extreme caution when approaching ridgelines that may have cornices and avoid traveling beneath them. Their likelihood increases with each night without a solid refreeze. If you can't see a tree poking through or probe to the ground, you might be standing on a precarious overhang.
Photo: Victor McNeil
Snowpack: Generally, no rapid changes in this consistent weather pattern would leave us with a stable snowpack. Prolonged warming however, with multiple nights without a freeze at mid and upper elevations, can lead to weird and unpredictable results. We could see many small wet avalanches today that we can anticipate. We could also get surprised with large cornices falling or even a very large slab avalanche. Do not put yourself close to an edge or a large bowl such as Chief Joseph when uncertainty is this high.
A professional observer in the Elkhorns on Weds did not find avalanches or recent signs of instability beyond typical rollerballs. In the Blues yesterday, we found a few inches of warmed moist snow above settled and supportable snow from Sunday's soaker. Snowmobiling was less difficult than expected.
Skiers from this week in the Halfway and Burger Butte areas of the S Wallowas found soft slabs (12-18") and small to large wet loose avalanches that naturally released from Sunday/Monday's rain on snow event. Significantly, there have been no crowns reported in the 3-4' range or very large (D3+) debris piles that would indicate a persistent slab avalanche on our January facets layer. As a result of this lack of activity under major loading, we have decided to move our persistent slab problem to "dormant" or unlisted.
What to do: Riding in areas without an overnight refreeze is not very enjoyable, let alone safe. Lower elevations may ride better than higher ones today, or any sheltered, shady, low angle terrain.
Add value to your forecast. Visibility is excellent, so please send photos and details of recent wet avalanches, old crowns and debris from the Atmospheric River Sunday, or just rollerballs and drooping cornices. Submit an observation here.
