Bulletin d’avalanche

East Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

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

Points saillants

Avalanche conditions are generally safe but you may encounter areas of wind-deposited snow that are more sensitive.  Cracking and collapsing are signs of instability. Watch out for obstacles in the shallow, early-season snowpack.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Unlikely
    Taille
    1–1.5

    It will be unlikely - but not impossible - to trigger a small wind slab avalanche. Strong, shifting wind can carry soft, unconsolidated surface snow onto exposed lee slopes and build fresh slabs. At upper elevations especially near the Cascade Crest, these slabs would be built on top of older, deeper slabs and could increase their sensitivity. With early season conditions, consider the consequences of being knocked over by even a small avalanche.

    Rippled, uneven snow surfaces indicate that wind has transported snow, and soft, pillowy wind slabs may be lurking nearby. Stomp around on safe test slopes representative of the slope you plan to ski or sled before entering consequential terrain. You have found an unstable slab if you see shooting cracks and collapsing. If you these signs, stick to lower angle, wind-sheltered slopes.

    (12/11/2024)

    Wind sculpted features along the ridge above the Teanaway Drainage in the East Central zone. Wind slabs were found on lee slopes from here.

    Photo: Katie Warren

Avalanche Discussion

During periods of low danger, there are still lots of excellent tools at your disposal to reduce your risk in the backcountry. Use your individual or group risk tolerance to dictate how steep of a slope you are willing to expose yourself to. Default to shorter, planar slopes without convexities or rollovers. Use caution in runouts that have exposed hazards and terrain traps. Sit on your porch and write a letter to Ullr asking for more snow to fall…

NWAC Forecasters assessed lingering wind slab instability in the Teanaway on Wednesday. They found very little signs of instability. They noted, however, that slabs sit on top of small near-crust facets that have grown around the 12/7 melt freeze crust. With a big enough new load that adds significant weight, we could start to see avalanches failing on this layer.

There is still limited data on conditions within the zone overall, so be prepared to make your own snowpack assessments if you get out. Digging quick hand pits along the skin track or sled trail is an easy way to look for layers of concern. Help NWAC forecasters reduce uncertainty by submitting an observation!

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