Bulletin d’avalanche

Southern Wallowas

Wallowa Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Sat
Alpin
3 · Marqué
Limite forestière
3 · Marqué
Sous la limite
2 · Modéré
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Points saillants

New snow and strong winds will create sensitive slabs today in exposed terrain.  In sheltered lower elevation terrain, the new snow may fall onto a crust from yesterday's rain event and could be sensitive to the weight of a rider.  Dangerous avalanche conditions will continue today and cautious route finding will be important if you venture into the mountains.  Avoid exposed upper elevation terrain that is being loaded by SW winds. 

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Likely
    Taille
    1–2.5

    A forecasted 6-8" of new snow throughout the day will create sensitive slabs to the weight of a rider.  This new snow will be falling on a variety of surfaces depending on your elevation.   It will be important to dig down below the new snow to see where a rain crust may exist.  Strong SW winds will be loading North through East facing terrain in exposed areas.  Avoid areas of wind loaded terrain and use clues such as rounded stiff pillows, rippled snow surface, and plumes off of the ridgelines to help identify these locations.  Sensitive cornices will be growing along ridgelines and should be avoided. Utilize small test slopes to ride your machine over or jump on with your boards to test the sensitivity of these new storm slabs. 

    On days where we have transitioning temperatures, it is critical to look at the interfaces of the snow layers to monitor for how well the new snow is bonding.  Isolating a small column with your hand or ski pole and pulling on the back side of it will give you a lot of useful information.  If the block slides off very easily, your chances of triggering an avalanche in steep terrain is higher.   Savvy observers will also look at the amount of saturation in the layers below yesterday's rain event and track how these layers may be reacting with dry snow below this layer.  Check out Kevin Cassidy's video observation from yesterday.  

     

  • Loose Wet

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

    With above freezing temperatures yesterday and overnight, we may see some wet loose activity at the lower elevation bands.  Look for roller balls or pinwheels that start entraining loose wet snow with them in terrain steeper than 30 degrees.  This problem should decrease throughout the day as temperatures drop to the teens by evening.  Avoid terrain where even a small wet loose could knock you off your feet.  Avoid riding above terrain traps such as gullies, creeks, and cliffs. 

Avalanche Discussion

Yesterdays warm storm brought a mix of rain, snow, and wind to the Wallowas.  Observers found the rain line to be about at 5200 in the Northern Wallowas.  A thin crust was present from the Salt Creek Summit snopark to about 7100'.  Storm totals within the Northern Wallowas since January 3rd are in the 15" range with 2" of Snow Water Equivelant.  In the Southern Wallowas, since January 3rd,  Schneider Meadows Snotel picked up 16" of snow with 2" of water.   Observers reported 30" at higher elevations.   Natural avalanches were reported in steep terrain above 35 degrees around 6,000'.  The snowpack doesn't like a lot of change in a short amount of time.  Give the snowpack some time to settle before commiting to terrain steeper than 35 degrees.  

Régions couvertes