Avalanche forecast

Elkhorns

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

As the sun starts shining on southeast, south, and southwest facing slopes, and as the mercury starts to rise above freezing, watch for red flag signs of instability like roller balls, snow melt from tree limbs, and pinwheels on the snow surface. These obvious red flags are signs that the snow is becoming unstable. If and when you start observing these sign of instability, it is time to move off of and out from under slopes steeper than 35 degrees and onto low angled slopes in the shade.

Forecast presented by @onxbackcountry. onX Backcountry is a GPS navigation and mapping tool designed with your backcountry objectives in mind, equipped with Avalanche Forecast and Slope Angle layers, Offline Maps and more.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    Partial sunshine and forecasted temperatures above freezing could cause the  fresh new layer of snow from Tuesday into Wednesday to become unstable by late morning or early afternoon. Sunshine and above freezing temperatures can dramatically compromise the strength of newly fallen snow, causing the snow surface to become weak and unstable. Signs that the snow is becoming unstable include snow melting off of tree limbs, the presence of roller balls adjacent to and underneath rocky terrain features, and the presence of rider triggered rollerballs and pinwheels. When you start observing these red flags of snowpack instability, it is time to move off of steep, solar aspects and onto shady north facing terrain with a slope angle less than 35 degrees. Keep in mind that a loose wet avalanche can carry an unsuspecting rider into trees, over cliff bands, and into nasty gully like terrain traps. Get on the snow early today and get off the snow when things start to get warm and wet.

  • Cornices

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    In my travels throughout our mountain region this past week I have noticed many cornices that are present near ridgelines. This time of year when the sun comes out and temperatures rise above freezing, these cornices become weak and can break when stressed by the weight of a human. To make matters worse, cornices tend to break further back from the slope edge than you might think. Therefore, it is advised that recreationalists traveling at and near ridgelines today stay well back from slope edges unless you are certain that the slope edge is not a cornice.

    (3/17/2022)

    Cornices on east facing terrain at about 8400' .

    Photo: TG

Avalanche Discussion

While ski touring in the Northern Elkhorns yesterday I observed decent stability on east and northeast slopes I traveled on at all elevations. However, Snowpit data gathered by myself and other observers in the area reveal continued poor snowpack structure in the upper and middle part of the snowpack. This poor snowpack structure is the byproduct of the erratic weather we have been experiencing this Winter. I did an extended column test and a compression test in a snowpit I dug yesterday. Columns failed with a moderate amount of force in the new snow layers in the upper foot of the snowpack. No propagation was observed and the shears were resistant. No failure was observed at the crust layers which reside at and below 40 centimeters at this location.

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