Bollettino valanghe

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
Vedi sulla mappa

Pericolo valanghe

Sat
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
Open full map
Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 5 years ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Welcome back for another winter together! A parade of storms should continue to deliver snowfall to the West South on Friday. If you head into the mountains, be prepared to deal with early season conditions and a relatively shallow snowpack. If you find yourself on a volcano or high elevation area prone to wind, you could find small pockets of wind-deposited snow to steer around. 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1

    The wind has been impressive around the West South the past few days and transport of newly fallen snow may have developed shallow Wind Slabs at upper elevations. These pockets of unstable snow will be more likely on the leeward side of ridgelines, at the base of cliffs, or on convex terrain features. Freshly built cornices, wind-stripped slopes, or textured snow surfaces are all visual clues you can use to help key you into the possibility of Wind Slabs. If you notice these visual clues or find signs of unstable snow such as cracking, steer around wind-loaded terrain features steeper than 35 degrees.

    (12/8/2021)

    Use visual clues to help you determine where Wind Slabs may be lurking near ridgelines.

    Photo: Andy Harrington

Avalanche Discussion

Snow began to blanket the mountains around the West South zone on Thursday, signaling a return to winter. As of Thursday evening, Paradise has received about a foot of snow, while areas closer to the crest such as White Pass and Crystal have received about half that much. The new snow is falling on a shallow early season snowpack or even dirt in some areas. On Wednesday, NWAC forecasters in the Crystal area found the shallow snowpack to be generally strong. As we ramp up our season, we are lacking detailed observations for many areas of the zone, but believe that a similar snowpack structure exists in most areas. The snowpack should contain a strong base, marked by the Late November Crust that was created by the recent atmospheric river rain events. This prominent snowpack marker should increase in thickness as you ascend in elevation and any potential points of failure in the snowpack should exist above it. In some areas, you may find a small crust that was formed on 12/7, which could be a good area to target in any snowpack tests you perform.

The early season conditions and shallow snowpack throughout the zone mean that natural hazards such as open creeks, stumps, and rocks could exist regardless of your location or elevation. Be sure to account for these hazards by taking it slow and tempering your expectations. You may be excited to get out on the snow after what some people would term a lackluster fall, but realize that we still have plenty of winter ahead of us, and getting caught by one of these early season hazards could put your winter in jeopardy.

Regioni coperte