Avalanche forecast

Eastside Region

Eastern Sierra Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

While natural activity is unlikely and our areas of concern have become more isolated in distribution, it may still be possible to trigger a large and destructive avalanche today. Elevated caution is recommended in steep unsupported terrain and in areas with shallow trigger points. Use terrain choice to mitigate your exposure to persistent slab avalanches

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    2–3

    Persistent Slabs challenge our patience and managing this problem requires extensive evaluation and deliberate terrain choice. Northerly and easterly aspects are of greatest concern today. Particularly in complex terrain near and above treeline, on steep and unsupported slopes, areas with shallow trigger points, and in areas with a generally thinner snowpack. Persistent slab avalanches often propagate across and beyond terrain features that would otherwise confine surface instabilities such as wind or storm slabs and in some cases persistent slab avalanches can be remotely triggered from adjacent slopes. Give yourself a wide safety margin, be wary of hazards that may reside above you, and use terrain choice to limit your exposure.

    Shallowly buried rocks and trees often act as trrigger points for peersitant slab avalanches. 

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Increasing winds during the day yesterday led to a decent amount of blowing snow near and above treeline. However, the faceted nature and limited availability of loose surface snow have worked in tandem to limit the potential for sizable slab development.  It will be worth keeping an eye out for isolated areas of concern on leeward terrain features above treeline and in extreme terrain. Recent drifting, uneven snow surfaces, and stiff hollow feeling surface snow are all clues that indicate nearby wind deposits. Do your own localized assessments and be suspect of terrain features that encourage drifting such as the leeward sides of ridgelines, gully features, and cross-loaded depressions.

    Blowing Snow ATL

Avalanche Discussion

On a regional scale, our persistent slab problem has been gradually moving towards unreactive. Targeted snowpack evaluations continue to highlight a poor structure and the potential for propagation across a slope. However, areas where a skier or rider could trigger a slide are isolated in nature. It may take a large load such as a cornice failure or relatively small wind slab avalanche, or it could take a skier or rider finding just the right trigger point . The preverbal “needle in the haystack”.

It remains important to keep in mind however, that the consequences of triggering an avalanche on these lower week layers has not become any less concerning. Should you find the button today a resulting avalanche has the potential to be very large and destructive. If you choose to venture into more complex areas, give yourself wide safety margins, and use terrain choice to limit your exposure.

Regions covered