Bulletin d’avalanche

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Sat
Alpin
2 · Modéré
Limite forestière
2 · Modéré
Sous la limite
1 · Faible
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 5 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Keep an eye out for pockets of wind-drifted snow as you ascend in elevation on Friday. Piles of snow behind trees or rocks along with textured snow surfaces can help you key you into where these pockets may exist.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

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

    New snow and some strong winds may combine to form shallow Wind Slabs on the lee side of ridgelines or other exposed features on Friday. As you ascend in elevation, keep an eye out for small drifts, fresh cornices, or textured snow surfaces to help clue you in to the existence of nearby Wind Slabs. You’re most likely to trigger one of these slabs near the base of cliffs or on rocky slopes such as confined gullies. While we expect these slabs to result in fairly small avalanches, don’t let them catch you off guard and sweep you off your feet in consequential terrain.

    (3/7/2021) This small wind slab was intentionally triggered on a test slope near treeline. Small features like this can help highlight conditions on larger slopes. NW, 6100'. SS-ASc-D1-R2-S

Avalanche Discussion

The weather forecast on Thursday didn’t quite pan out as we anticipated, resulting in lower hazard than predicted. That precipitation we were expecting on Thursday is now slated to arrive overnight into Friday, accompanied by some wind. On Friday, the precipitation and wind should continue throughout much of the zone and we expect that inputs will be enough for small avalanches as you start to ascend in elevation. Depending on your aspect, new snow may overlay a firm crust, giving it the ability to run far and fast.

The West South contains a generally strong upper snowpack, and recent avalanches have been minimal. With a variety of aspect-dependent snow surfaces for new snow to fall on, you should use test slopes and hand pits to check the bonding of any new snow to the old surface before stepping into consequential terrain. New inputs from rain, snow, and wind will be driving the avalanche hazard as we move into the weekend. Continue to stay vigilant with your route planning this spring, avoiding overhead hazards such as cornices and glide slopes as much as possible. Although these avalanches are more likely during periods of warmer weather, they are unpredictable and could fail due to a variety of reasons.

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, continue to follow the latest guidance from local, state, and federal health officials. Avoid unnecessary risks that could impact first responders and stress medical resources.  Wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, and consider recreating closer to home.

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