Mt Hood

Challenging travel conditions plague Mt Hood. If you head out, be ready for loud surfaces and slide for life conditions. While less likely, still look for isolated pockets of unstable wind-drifted snow at the highest elevations.  

The old forecaster's adage is low danger doesn't mean no danger. On Wednesday, look for challenging travel on the slopes of Mt Hood. Observers have been reporting very firm and variable conditions across the zone thanks to a freezing rain crust extending to 9000 ft ( and maybe higher). If you head out, be sure to pack the 'sharps', including an ice axe and crampons to help you travel more efficiently and, most importantly, reduce the chance of a long sliding fall.

Below 6000 ft travel is quite unpleasant. You'll encounter widespread rain runnels, breakable crusts, and sloppy travel. Shallowly buried objects are still lurking, so tread lightly to save yourself and your gear from injury. 

While less likely, you may find isolated pockets of soft snow at the upper elevations of Mt Hood. If you do, look for signs of unstable snow such as recent drifting or textured surfaces. These are clear indicators telling you the wind has been at work and that a wind slab may be lurking nearby. Shooting cracks or hollow-sounding snow indicate that you found an unstable slab.

Observations have been sparse since the recent storm, so if you get out let us know what you see by submitting a public observation.