Bulletin d’avalanche

Snoqualmie Pass

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 4 years ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

Wind Slabs continue to be the most likely avalanche problem you’ll encounter at the Pass on Friday. Keep an eye out for areas that look “fat” with pillow-like piles of snow, particularly on convex slopes or in confined gullies. In some cases, these pockets may be on unusual aspects or further down a slope than you may be used to.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

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

    It won’t take much for you to notice the effects of the recent windy weather on Friday. Textured surfaces, firm wind-pressed snow, and smooth pillow-like piles abound. Even as the wind direction changes away from easterly and speeds decrease, you’ll still need to keep an eye out for lingering slabs to avoid on specific terrain features at mid to upper elevations. Slabs will likely be larger and possibly more reactive as you ascend toward ridgelines but may still exist near rocky outcrops, confined gullies, or convex slopes lower down. You could even find some unlikely trigger points created by the easterly winds such as mid-slope due to cross-loading or on the reverse aspect than where you typically see Wind Slabs.

    (1/5/2023)

    Obvious signs that the wind has been a player at Snoqualmie Pass were in your face no matter where you looked on 1/5.

    Photo: Ian Nicholson

Avalanche Discussion

The recent waves of stormy weather seemed to mostly skip over the Pass in terms of precipitation, but windy conditions definitely impacted the zone the last few days. On Thursday, NWAC forecasters and avalanche professionals in the Alpental Valley both had similar findings. Wind-pressed snow,  firm older Wind Slabs, and some limited cracking on small wind-loaded test slopes were found throughout their travels. Windy conditions were experienced in more open areas at mid-elevations, but there was limited new snow transport. Neither group made it to the upper elevations of our zone due to visibility issues, so there still remains uncertainty about conditions in those areas. On more southerly slopes, the New Year’s Day sun crust was still found on or near the surface while more sheltered northerly slopes held well-settled buffed-out powder above the prominent Christmas Crust.

You can expect similar conditions on Friday, with the possibility of a few dribs and drabs of precipitation here and there, possibly in liquid form at the lowest elevations. If you notice rain falling on dry snow, you could experience some rollerballs or other Wet Loose activity. In this case, if you start to see fan-shaped avalanches, simply head for lower-angled slopes.

Régions couvertes