Bulletin d’avalanche

Mt Hood

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Thu
Alpin
2 · Modéré
Limite forestière
2 · Modéré
Sous la limite
1 · Faible
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 3 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

 If you trigger an avalanche on Wednesday, it will likely be in a pocket of wind drifted snow at mid and upper elevations. Pay attention to blowing snow and wind direction to help you identify which slopes are loading up. Steer around steep wind loaded start zones if you notice signs of unstable snow such as shooting cracks.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

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

    A slight uptick in southeast winds should start drifting new snow into shallow soft slabs. Nothing good usually comes out of these upslope winds, so keep an eye out for these slabs to be forming in some weird spots such as west aspects or cross-loading terrain features. These newly formed slabs should be on the shallow side, however, I would still keep an eye out for the older harder slabs above treeline in specific leeward features. 

    East and west winds have been at work drifting new snow this past week, so you may find these slabs all over the compass. As you move through the mountains look for blowing snow, fresh cornices, and pillow-like slabs at the snow surface to help you identify possible slopes of concern. Avoid steep wind drifted start zones if you notice signs of unstable snow such as shooting cracks or notice snow that feels hollow. 

    (1/29/2023)

    Blowing snow and wind direction can tell you a lot about which slopes are loading up. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

The Mt Hood trickle continues… On Tuesday morning we woke up to another 2-3 inches of low density snow that helped refresh older tracks. Backcountry travelers reported excellent riding conditions with minimal signs of instability present. One observation reported small dry loose avalanches  in steep, complex terrain along Gnarl Ridge. The Meadows Pro Patrol went out for avalanche control work in some of their alpine terrain and reported minimal slab reactivity. 

Wednesday should bring more of the same with the only difference being an uptick in wind speeds. So you may notice snow drifting around once you gain treeline. This should be an obvious sign telling you that wind slabs may be forming nearby. 

Clouds and cool temperatures should generally limit wet loose avalanche activity, but March is a thing now. So if the sun does make an appearance you may notice some moist snow forming on solar slopes. If this occur, keep an eye out for rollerballs or pinwheels as these are precursors of wet loose avalanches. If you find yourself on the opposite side of the compass, keep an eye out for small dry loose sloughs in steep terrain. 

If you get out into the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting an observation.

 

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