Avalanche forecast

Presidential Range

Mount Washington Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
1 · Low
Treeline
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago.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

You are unlikely to trigger a large avalanche with generally stable snow conditions. There is lingering drifted snow in southern aspects that may have remaining sensitivities. Identifying this problem is easy as the snow will appear bright white and pillowy, consider convex terrain features carefully as this is where you are most likely to trigger an avalanche.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    In isolated, steep south facing terrain, like Oakes Gulf, wind slabs that are large enough to injure or bury a person remain. These large slabs sensitivities are stubborn and trending unreactive, but this would be a low probability high consequence event if you were to trigger and be caught in this avalanche. You are unlikely to find any warning signs, like shooting cracks, typically found in wind slabs indicating that you have found this problem.

    Terrain choice is the best way to manage this unlikely hazard. Consider that the Oakes Gulf avalanche February 5th was triggered on a steep convexity and that other pillowy, rounded white snow was found in southern aspects in similar terrain features.

    Photo: Charlotte MacDonald

Avalanche Discussion

Warm temperatures and sunshine continue to promote the bonding of snowpack layers on all aspects. Forecasters identified a weak layer interface deep in the snowpack in the crownline of the Oakes Gulf avalanche on south-facing slopes earlier this week.  Multiple days of solar gain and warm temperatures are acting to heal and bond these weak layers together. As time goes on, this problem is becoming more and more unlikely, but it is not impossible to find a lingering instability, especially near steep rollovers. 

Other snow surfaces across the Presidentals are a mix of firm snow and ice and you are unlikely to find significant instabilities there. As sunshine and warm temperatures melt surface snow you may see rollerballs on solar aspects close to rock buttresses. Small amounts of wet loose snow may sluff underfoot, but this will be easy to manage and identify as the surface snow potentially softens through the day.

Regions covered