Bulletin d’avalanche

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Sun
Alpin
2 · Modéré
Limite forestière
2 · Modéré
Sous la limite
1 · Faible
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 6 months ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Avalanche hazard is slowly increasing as incremental new snow and swelling wind speeds build slabs in downwind terrain. Shooting cracks and collapsing underneath your equipment, as well as recent slab avalanches in wind-exposed terrain should cause you to step back from slopes steeper than 35 degrees. With exposed hazards still abound, consider the consequences of being carried downslope in even a small avalanche.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Possible
    Taille
    1–2

    Increasing wind from the east will accompany another few inches of snow on Saturday. Although new snow totals aren't impressive, they will be building on a lot of low-density snow already available for transport, especially in the southern half of the zone. Most slides should be small, but they can pick up dry loose snow as they move downslope and grow larger than expected. Wind transported snow will be loading weak layers buried below, and it's not out of the question that a triggered wind slab could break more deeply or propagate more widely than expected. 

    Wind slabs typically form just below ridgelines and within concave terrain features (cross-loading). Due to easterly wind, small slabs will develop on atypical slopes. Blowing or drifting snow will be your first easily identifiable sign that slabs are being built. Also keep an eye out for other visual and tactile clues such as textured surfaces, soft, freshly formed difts/cornices, and a change to denser feeling snow beneath your equipment.

    (2/20/2026)

    Mission Ridge: Small wind slabs failed on buried surface hoar and entrained dry loose snow on the way down. These slabs were 4F+ hard and 8-10" at their deepest. Cracking can also be observed in near crust facets below the 02/07 crust. Mission patrollers reported sustained wind transport from the SW throughout the day on Friday.

    Photo: Mission Ridge Pro Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

On Friday, Mission Ridge Pro Patrol reported triggering small wind slabs that released on a layer of buried surface hoar 8-10 inches deep. Some slabs stepped down into faceted snow below the 02/07 crust. This is notable as most observations have reported the 02/07 crust to be pencil hard and ski supportable, although not boot supportable. This means the crust isn't as strong as we'd like for snowpack stability. This is also confirmed by snowpit tests performed by NWAC Forecasters in the area on Thursday, who got propagating test results within the near-crust facet layer. An NWAC Forecaster traveling in the Salmon La Sac on Thursday also got notable snowpit test results with this layer. Avalanche hazard is higher in the Salmon La Sac as it has received more snow throughout the week.

How come we aren't forecasting for a persistent slab avalanche problem yet? The answer lies in location. On Saturday, we expect you'll only encounter slab avalanches in wind loaded terrain, which means you can treat a persistent slab problem like a wind slab problem for the time being. Where the wind is not blowing snow into more cohesive slabs, the new and recent snow is too soft and cohesionless for the right slab characteristics to develop a persistent slab problem. Regardless of where you are, you can check the bond between buried weak layers and new snow by digging small hand pits.

Speaking of soft and cohesionless, it remains feasible to trigger small sluffs of dry, loose snow in most sheltered terrain. "Manage your sluff" by slower and more deliberate travel away from terrain traps where snow will gather. You will increase the consequences of being knocked over by sluff if you travel in cliffy or rocky terrain.

Travel conditions are slowly improving, but you'll still find low snow coverage at lower elevations, on southerly slopes, and in the Wenatchees at all elevations. Give yourself extra time and precaution to manage exposed hazards, and know that some may be obscured by new snow.

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