East Slopes Central

Avalanche conditions are generally safe. Snow cover is shallow and human-powered travel may be challenging due to breakable crusts and wet snow. 

Keep an eye out for shallowly buried objects under your feet or sled at lower elevations. snow cover is shallow and there are many exposed obstacles to hit. Aside from challenging travel conditions, there's some uncertainty in snowpack conditions at the highest elevations (above 6,500ft) and in the northernmost part of the zone. If you travel in these areas, you may be able to find dry surface snow or wind slab avalanche conditions. We currently have little data from those areas.

You can expect crusty and variable snow surfaces. On Saturday into Sunday, an impressive storm brought 8-20 inches of snow and ended in rain. The snowpack has been slowly freezing, though warm temperatures haven't helped. Observers reported a breakable crust extending to upper elevations. The rainline was likely around 6,000-6,500ft, though we're not certain. Widespread surface hoar has been reported on the surface in other zones, and we suspect it here as well.

We have limited information about conditions at upper elevations. Once you start noticing dry snow, begin to assess the snowpack. Watch for blowing snow or signs of recent drifting. Textures like dunes, ripples, and pillow-like slabs may help you identify potentially problematic slopes. Look to see if the surface snow slides easily on underlying layers. You can use hand pits or snowpack tests to gauge how reactive the slab is. The best policy will be to ease into the terrain slowly.

You can contribute to the forecast by letting us know what you see. Submit a public observation here.