Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Consider steering around steep wind drifted slopes at mid and upper elevations. These wind drifted slabs could pack a punch and be consequential if triggered. As the day heats up, think about moving off solar slopes if you notice signs such as rollerballs and pinwheels.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The past two days have offered all the ingredients( new snow, strong winds, and long duration of wind speeds) needed for some hard, stubborn wind slabs to form. You’ll find these slabs lurking on the downwind side of ridges, under cornices, below cliff bands, and near the top of chutes/couloirs. Fortunately, this is an easy avalanche problem to navigate around. You can simply use visual clues to help you identify slopes of concern. Look for active loading or slopes that appear textured and fat. Pillow-like slabs or ripples at the snow surface all indicate possible wind loaded terrain. As always, pump the brakes if you notice shooting cracks or hear snow that sounds hollow like a drum. 

    (2/28/2023)

    Look for pillow-like slabs, dunes, and wind textured snow to help you identify slopes of concern. 

    Photo: Katie Warren

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Pretty straightforward here… the sun will make an appearance and start making the snow surface wet and weak on solar slopes. Consider steering around steep solars if you notice rollerballs and pinwheels. These are often indicators telling you that the snow surface is getting weak and loose wet avalanches may soon follow. This will likely be a bigger issue at those mid-elevations that still hold soft snow at the surface. These should be small, but still consider the consequence if they push you into a terrain trap such as a creek or a gully bottom. 

    Move off of steep sunny slopes if you notice signs like this. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

The East South continues to get raked by strong wind speeds. This pattern will continue on on Wednesday as a small system (more wind than snow) moves through the Cascades. 

You’ll likely find variable travel below 6000’ due to recent warm temperatures and mixed precipitation. However, you may still find some good riding conditions in more sheltered areas on the north side of the compass. 

On Monday, I traveled to the Gold Hill Ridge area in western part of the East South. My partner and I observed a deep snowpack, stubborn wind slabs, and large cornices. You can check out the full observation here. 

In neighboring East Central, as the skies cleared on Saturday, observers saw some very large crowns from natural avalanches above 7000ft on northern aspects in alpine terrain. We are uncertain about the layer these slides ran on. However, they appear to be primarily in wind-loaded, high-elevation, exposed terrain. Older crust layers may be the culprit, so consider the consequences of a very large avalanche and avoid steep wind-loaded terrain at these higher elevations. 

If you get out into the mountains of the East South, let us know what you see by submitting an observation!

 

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