Avalanche forecast

Northern Wallowas

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Warm temperatures and sunny skies will impact the snow surface today, increasing the possibility of triggering  wet loose avalanches on sunny aspects in steep terrain.  If you find yourself sinking up to your boot tops while skinning or walking off of your machine, it's time to move to lower angle slopes and shadier aspects.  As this week's snow settles more into a cohesive slab, while unlikely-there remains the possibility of triggering a deeper slab avalanche that could break over a foot deep where weak snowpack structure exists in the upper snowpack. 

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Temperatures are forecasted to be in the upper 30's today with plenty of sun in the sky to warm up the snow surface.  This will create the potential to trigger a wet loose avalanche in the new snow.   The new snow sits atop crusts on south and west aspects that will make an ideal bed surface for wet loose avalanches.  Likely places to trigger a wet loose avalanche will be near rocks and on slopes steeper than 35 degrees.  If you see signs of the new snow becoming uncohesive such as pinwheels/rollerballs, point releases out of steep rocky areas, or sinking up to your boot tops in wet loose snow, it is time to seek lower angle terrain on a shadier aspect.  Make an exit plan where you can avoid travelling underneath solar aspects in the afternoon hours.  

    An example of wet loose avalanches and roller balls. 

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    A weak upper snowpack structure exists in many locations in the southern wallowas.  We need to have a cohesive enough slab to see avalanches on the weak snow that surrounds the 1/20 and 1/6 crusts.  So far, we haven't really seen enough cohesion in the new snow to create these conditions.  However, with time and warmer weather, our new snow will gain strength into more of a slab.  Before comitting to slopes steeper than 35 degrees, it could be a good idea to take the time to dig in a safe location that is representative of the slope you are looking to ride.  Look for the strong over weak avalanche sandwhich.  This picture demonstrates the weak snowpack structure that exists on an East aspect at 7,000'  near summit point.  I found buried surface hoar and faceted snow grains (see picture below) underneath the 1/20 crust at this location and had a propagating extended column test result.  You can see the results from the test in a video here. 

Avalanche Discussion

Timing your travel plans appropriately and changing aspects as the sun warms up solar slopes will help you to find the best riding and avoid the chance of being involved in a wet loose avalanche today.  I would suspect the best riding will be on lower angle shadier slopes toay.  While travelling on shadier aspects, continue to look for how well the last storm's snow is bonding to the old snow surface.   Curious observers will continue to dig down a few feet from the snow surface to investigate the weak snow around several crusts in the upper snowpack.  As the new snow strengthens into a more cohesive slab, the possibility of triggering a deeper persistent slab will increase.  

Thanks for the observations, and keep them coming! Click here to submit an observation. 

Happening this weekend......The Eastern Oregon Backcountry Festival at Anthony Lakes! 

Today's events include: 

  • WAC forecasting team led ski/splitboard tours into Angel Basin

More information on the events for the weekend can be found here.

Online Auction and Raffle -Similar to last winter we are having an online auction and raffle with some amazing prizes.  Thanks to all of the local generosity for putting together some sweet donation items.  You can go to the Auction here.  All proceeds will help cover the cost of avalanche forecasting this winter.  Also, be sure to check out some of our new WAC Apparel in our online store.  

Forecast presented by @onxbackcountry. onXbackcountry is a GPS navigation and mapping tool designed with your backcountry objectives in mind, equipped with Avalanche Forecast and Slope Angle layers, Offline maps and more.

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