Mt Hood

Early season conditions are in full effect. Use care to safely navigate the shallow snowpack and exposed travel hazards like rocks, stumps, and open creeks.  A strong front will arrive by Sunday morning, bringing snow, wind, and much colder temperatures to the Mt Hood area.  Be prepared for changing conditions later in the weekend. 

We're kicking off the 2022-23 season tonight!  After a quiet Saturday,  a big pattern change starting late Saturday night and continuing through next week will bring winter back in a major way.   If you're planning on being outside Saturday night, make sure you're properly equipped for a significant winter storm to impact the area early Sunday through Monday. 

Until then, early season conditions are the name of the game.  On Saturday, you are unlikely to encounter an avalanche problem.  Your main challenge on Saturday will be linking continuous snow and avoiding bare ground or early-season obstacles.  Shallowly buried objects such as trees, stumps, open creeks, and rocks are lurking under a few inches of recent snow.  If you're traveling high on the volcano and well above NWAC's top elevation band (above 8000'), be prepared to make your own observations and adjust your travel accordingly.   

NWAC's newest Mt Hood forecaster, Joe Dellaporta, was out for a personal day yesterday and submitted this observation.  Joe found a variety of early-season snow surfaces and varying coverage.  Welcome Joe! 

Before you head out the door, remember to check the Uphill Travel Policies of your local Ski Resorts. 

If you're out in the snow, share your observations with us and your local backcountry community.