Avalanche forecast

Elkhorns

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

The lack of overnight freezing temperatures combined with warm temperatures throughout the day will increase the chances of triggering wet loose avalanches on steep slopes.  Ridgeline cornices have become weak and could fail naturally or under the weight of a backcountry traveler.  Avoid corniced ridgelines and steep slopes where the surface snow is wet and lacks cohesion.   

This forecast is sponsored by M. Crow Company. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Low temperatures last night did not dip below freezing.  Many weather stations struggled to drop below 40 degrees.  While direct sun will speed up the process,  expect wet loose avalanches to be less aspect-dependent today with the lack of a solid overnight freeze and anticipated high temperatures in the 50's-60's.   Saturated surface snow has lost cohesion and will easily be pushed into motion on slopes steeper than 35 degrees.  

    Look for clues to wet loose activity such as roller balls or pinwheels, and look for "point releases" out of rocky outcroppings or cliff bands.  Plan your travel accordingly to avoid being on or under warming steep slopes in the afternoon.   Expect any natural or human-triggered wet loose slides to run easily on a crust that sits below the surface snow.  

    Northerly facing slopes at upper elevations have remained dry through yesterday, but this may change today with the bump in temperatures.  Expect any dry snow that is becoming wet for the first time to be especially reactive today.  

    Consider the results of getting caught up in even a small wet loose avalanche if it were to knock you off your feet and carry you over consequential terrain such as cliffs, into dense trees, or into a gully feature.

    (4/9/2025)

    Minor Rollerballs on a West Aspect

    Photo: Caleb Merrill

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    They are big, they are small, but no matter their size, they are becoming saggy and weak.  Cornices along ridgelines are losing strength in the warming temperatures.  Avoid traveling near the edge of ridgelines where cornices could break further back than you might expect.  Use rocks and trees as clues to know where terra firma is and build some buffer into your estimation.  

    Most cornices are near and above treeline on the northern half of the compass, but when approaching any ridgeline regardless of aspect, look for cornice development.  

    (3/8/2025)

    Sagging cornices are losing strength.  

    Photo: SD

Avalanche Discussion

To round out our wet snow concerns, we should think about Glide avalanches and Wet Slab avalanches if traveling in more extreme alpine terrain where all of the snowpack sits upon rocky slabs.  While less likely than wet loose avalanches, a glide avalanche occurs when the entirety of the snowpack fails on a smooth substrate such as a grassy slope or a face that is made up of a smooth rock slab.  Glide cracks have been observed in steep rocky terrain, and the best defense here is full avoidance of hanging out underneath glide cracks. 

If traveling in the mountains today, dig down at various elevation bands to investigate how deep into the snowpack meltwater has saturated the underlying snow.  While generally unlikely, if water is pooling on a crust, you have the off chance potential to get caught up in a more destructive wet slab avalanche.  Predicting the timing of wet slab avalanches is tricky, but if you are seeing numerous wet loose avalanches running naturally, your best bet is to stay off and out from underneath steep slopes.  

Check out what I found in the Northern Wallowas yesterday in an observation here.  

With limited observations this time of year, uncertainty is higher.  Please submit an observation here and chip into the community info-sharing.  It can be simple, short, and even anonymous.  Thank you! 

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