Avalanche forecast

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Slab or loose snow avalanches are possible in an assortment of terrain, making it hard to completely rule out a steep slope from being dangerous. For a safer and more enjoyable day in the backcountry, steer around steep features and complex terrain to find high quality powder on sheltered, low angle slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1.5–2

    In areas closer to the Cascade Crest that have received more than 1 foot of new snow and counting, you could trigger an avalanche that fails on weak layers below. Slabs could be particularly sensitive on rollovers or convexities or where the wind has made them deeper and denser. This type of avalanche can break in surprising ways, wider than expected, and from flat terrain. 

    Pay attention to the depth and cohesiveness of the surface snow. This will help you determine how much new snow there is as well as if the snow has been wind-affected. Cracking, collapsing (whumpfing), and recent slab avalanches are clear indicators that instability exists, but you might not see any before it's too late. Rippled, uneven snow surfaces and cornice development will point you toward wind-loaded slopes. Ultimately, persistent slab avalanches are tricky to manage; your best bet is to just stick to low-angle terrain free of overhead hazards.

    (2/3/2025)

    A skier triggered persistent slab avalanche near White Pass. This slide released over a 100ft wide and 2-3ft deep. WNW, 5600ft SS-ASu-D2-R2-O

  • Loose Dry

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    All of this new and recent snow is very soft and dry, so it often lacks bonding and cohesion. Expect to see sluffs of dry snow anywhere throughout the zone, but this problem is more apparent closer to the Cascade Crest. If the zone sees more sun than forecasted, this problem will be unlikely on southerly slopes. Dry loose avalanches start at a point and entrain more snow as they move downhill and fan out. Although small, you could get knocked over and pushed over hazards such as rocks and cliffs. Be mindful of terrain traps below you and avoid this problem by steering around steep rollovers or gullies.

    (2/3/2025)

    Pushing on small wind drifts mostly just resulted in dry loose sluffs in the East South zone (02/03)

    Photo: Payton Schiff

Avalanche Discussion

Although we haven't heard of any confirmed persistent slab avalanches in this zone, there has been a lot of activity just over the border in the West South zone. Multiple skier triggered persistent slab avalanches have been reported in recent days on White Pass. An observer near Crystal reported the "loudest whumpf I've ever heard" on Wednesday. A NWAC Forecaster was on Bethel Ridge on Monday, and while she did not find any glaring signs of persistent slab instability, the setup certainly exists. The zone will pick up another few inches of snow Wednesday night through Thursday, and this could be just enough additional load to tip the scales in a lot of places.

You don't need to enter avalanche terrain to determine if the snowpack is unstable. However, persistent slab avalanche problems sometimes don't give you feedback until you've already committed to a steep slope. Give yourself wider safety margins and put together a conservative route plan for the day while we give the snowpack some time to adjust to its new load. There is plenty of amazing riding and skiing in "cold smoke" pow on low angle slopes right now!

With another shot of new snow going into Wednesday, don't rule out the possibility of encountering a fresh wind slab avalanche. Wind-loaded snow could be found at upper elevations on all aspects, but you are more likely to find thicker slabs and cornice development on northerly slopes. Similar signs of cracking and recent slab avalanches will indicate instability.

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