Avalanche forecast

Bridgeport Avalanche Center

Bridgeport Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Wind-stiffened snow in and above the treeline remains a concern today. A wind slab that breaks could step down into weaker snow at the bottom of the snowpack. Choose your terrain carefully knowing that the northerly aspects in steep terrain have the most complex problems in our snowpack.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    Wind from the West and Southwest and an abundance of available snow for transport created sensitive wind slabs in the Alpine and near treeline terrain Saturday.  Terrain features such as gullies, convexities, and catchment areas can get loaded up with wind-blown snow and are more sensitive to this problem. The snow came in cold and of low density with 10-12 inches falling around the Sonora Pass Snotel. Higher concentrations of snow were found in protected treed areas. Look for surface clues in the landscape for these deposits of windslab as well as in the stiffness of the snow.  

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2.5

    Weak sugary snow grains at the bottom of the snowpack have been slow to heal. Below 10,000 ft we have been finding a rain crust or crusts in most of our pits in the BWRA (Boo-rah). There is also a mix of snow types above that. With our overall snowpack height still relatively low (less than 100 cm) this problem has been slow to heal. Saturday's storm brought in about a foot of low-density snow which swirled around and redepositied in the landscape, mostly in protected areas. There was not enough of a load to cause a natural cycle. With this additional loading consider your terrain choices carefully as this problem remains in the bottom of the pack.  

Avalanche Discussion

The storm on Saturday left about a foot of fresh snow in its wake followed by a cold and clear Sunday. The light snow blew around in the windy conditions and most of the accumulation ended up in the trees near and below treeline terrain. We did see some evidence of a few loose dry sluffs and a slab release naturally during the storm above Leavitt Lake. The terrain around the lake is complex and often loads up and releases during a storm. Our below-treeline terrain is quite thin, the last few storms haven't had the forcing behind them to completly fill in the lowest elevation band of avalanche terrain.   

Regions covered