Wet Slabs
- Alpine
- Treeline
- Below treeline
- Likelihood
- Very Likely
- Size
- 2–3
Friday's large natural slab release in White River Canyon serves as a warning sign for more potential natural and human-triggered wet avalanche activity. Saturday will be a day to keep it simple and stay out of harm's way. Snowpacks don't like rapid change and avalanche conditions will remain difficult to manage until our cold, layered snowpack adjusts to the current warm, wet weather regime. Saturday will be the second day of above-freezing temperatures for most areas, but with heavy rainfall expected during the day, the water may percolate and impact deeper weaknesses within the snowpack. The 12/8 surface hoar remains on our mind as a weak layer that could fail in widespread areas. There are also crusts deeper in the snowpack that might serve as bed surfaces for very large avalanches. Wet loose avalanches may also step down to some of these layers. Saturday will not be a day to try to nuance the problem. Simply avoid all open slopes and stay out from under slopes with exposure to bigger terrain on the upper mountain such as long valley flats. There's a lot of uncertainty regarding how the snowpack will respond to the massive change.
(12/22/2022)
Large natural slab (presumably wet slab) likely released on 12/23. SE aspect, 6000-6500 ft. White River Canyon.
Photo: Schuyler Klaassen