Avalanche forecast

Mount Shasta

Mount Shasta Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago.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

Highlights

Generally safe avalanche conditions exist, with the exception of steep southerly aspects that hold wet and mushy snow. Assess the snow before committing to terrain, and observe for point releases and roller balls to gauge a slopes stability. Move to shadier aspects to best manage this problem.  

Avalanche Discussion

Wet loose avalanches could occur on very steep southerly aspects that receive direct sunlight near and above treeline. The steeper the slope, the more likely there is to be instabilities. Therefore, terrain management and timing are the best ways to decrease your risk of finding pockets of unstable snow. If riding or traveling in high stakes terrain, only expose one party member at a time, including to overhead hazard. Identify where terrain traps are, and time your travel appropriately. In this case, the first half of the day is best. Clues like deep boot penetration, point releases, and saturated snow surfaces, are acquirable data points to help you determine snow stability. The most likely trigger points for this problem are mid-slope, where the snow is protected from wind chill and is extra mushy from radiative heating. Beneath cliff bands and rock outcroppings are other areas where unstable snow may be present. 

An observation from yesterday, on a southeast aspect at 6,000 feet, found 5 inches of wet surface snow above drier snow. This illustrates the amount of water that has percolated downwards into the snowpack, and will continue to do so.  

While we wait for the Everitt Memorial Highway and Castle Lake Road to open, now is a perfect time to get out there with your partners and refresh those necessary skills of how to use a beacon, probe, and shovel. 

Thank you to everyone who showed up last night for Giving Tuesday, and all the donors who supported the Avalanche Center. We appreciate you!  

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