East Slopes South

In general, avalanches will be unlikely. However, you may see a few small wet loose avalanches or rollerballs from steep rocks or cliffs in direct sun. There is thin snow cover throughout the zone below 5500ft, and access to higher elevations is becoming increasingly challenging. 

Stevens Pass, Snoqualmie Pass, and the western slopes of the Cascades picked up a decent refresh of snow in the last 48hrs. Unfortunately, the East South zone received little to no snow, even at higher elevations close to the crest. With no fresh snow and cold nights, avalanche conditions are generally safe. However, Friday will be a sunny day with warm afternoon temperatures, and small wet loose avalanches from very steep, rocky terrain in direct sun may be possible. Also, pay attention to overhead hazard from large cornices that are beginning to sag and may fail in the warm afternoon sun. These are a significant hazard on their own, but they may also trigger a wet loose avalanche on the slope below. On Wednesday, I ventured out to the Pinegrass Ridge area off Hwy 12 and found a shallow, patchy snowpack up to 5000ft, even on shady northern aspects. Southerly slopes were snow free to ridgetops near 5700ft. In most locations, there was limited potential for avalanches in the terrain below 6000ft. Thankfully, regular grooming in recent weeks compacted snow on roads maintaining access through an otherwise snow-free landscape at lower elevations. A promising winter storm looks to impact the region early next week, which may bring some significant snow accumulations to the eastern slopes of the Cascades. Gaining access to higher elevation terrain could be your biggest challenge. You will need to use summer roads and trails to get to higher elevations with continuous snow coverage. Deeper snowpacks continue to hang on above 6000ft near Bumping Ridge and Mt Aix.