Avalanche forecast

Eastside Region

Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

On scattered terrain features with enough snow to ride, you could trigger a small avalanche where a stiff slab rests over a weak layer of loose, sugary snow. Thin coverage increases the consequences of triggering even a small avalanche. 

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    In isolated areas, a slab of stiffer snow overlays weak facets near the base of the snowpack. The problem is most likely found on terrain features prone to wind-loading, especially in the Mammoth Area and near the Sierra Crest. Persistent weak layers are slow to gain strength and can remain a concern over an extended period. If triggered, the resulting avalanche could break in unexpected ways - from across the slope, or from below. Shooting cracks and whumpfing noises in the snowpack are signs of instability. Managing this problem may be more difficult because poor snow coverage means that the few areas attractive for riding are generally the same slopes where the avalanche problem may exist. 

Avalanche Discussion

Across the majority of the forecast area, avalanche start zones with enough snow to be concerning are isolated. The exception is the Mammoth Lakes area, and closer to the Sierra Crest. In these areas, the combined distribution of weak layers and an overlying slab is more continuous. The snow atop the weak layer varies from a few inches of loose snow to stiff slabs more than a foot thick. Warm days and sunshine have melted the snow surface on sunny slopes and at lower elevations leaving some areas with a firm crust atop the facets below.

In the big picture, dribs and drabs and dustings of snow have not been enough to overload our fragile snowpack. Nor has coverage improved much. Without consistent snow coverage, travel in the mountains has been difficult. While triggering more than a small avalanche on individual terrain features is unlikely, your risk of injury, if you are carried downhill through rocks and logs, remains high. 

Regions covered