East Slopes South

Tuesday will be another day of minimal avalanche concerns and challenging mountain travel over firm snow and low snow coverage. Give yourself plenty of time to enter and exit the mountains, and consider the consequence of slip before recreating in steep, firm snow. 

Tuesday will be another day of low avalanche danger and slick mountain travel as you gain elevation into more exposed terrain. Mostly cloudy skies will limit any sun softening on solar slopes. A long, uncontrolled fall could go from bad to worse if you run into rocks, cliffs, trees, or creeks. These hazards are quite present right now, given how meager the snowpack is, and such incidents have been reported in the Cascades and Mt. Hood over the past week.  Fortunately, there is some change in the weather forecast over the next week, but uncertainty remains regarding precipitation amounts, particularly in the southern Cascades. 

The snowpack is in rough shape after 13 days (and counting) of no precipitation and temperature inversions. Slick melt-freeze crusts are widespread and you may find some bumpy runnels further west or north in the zone. We went into dry January with an already thin snowpack, and unfortunately, there is a lot of bare ground showing in steep sun-exposed terrain and along previously scoured slopes. Most aspects have been in a solid melt-freeze cycle for well over a week now, while more shaded aspects (N-NE) are holding softer, decomposing crusts and near- surface facets. While these weaker faceting surfaces and crusts are not an issue now, they will be worth tracking as precipitation starts trickling in later week. 

While low avalanche danger exists, continue to practice safe travel rituals, such as exposing only one person to steep terrain at a time and carrying a functioning avalanche transceiver, shovel, and probe. This could even be a great time to practice rescue with that equipment if you haven't yet this season!