Loose Wet
- Alta quota
- Limite del bosco
- Sotto il limite del bosco
- Probabilità
- Possible
- Dimensione
- 1–2
Another round of rain puts wet snow avalanches back on the table. This includes wet loose, wet slab, and glide avalanches as well as cornice fall. The good news is that we have a couple of factors working to keep the likelihood lower. Those things are very firm surfaces that will need to break down first in order to weaken the snowpack, and strong to extreme winds that will aid in keeping said surfaces from weakening.
Nevertheless, it'll be worth your time to keep this problem on your radar. It often takes a few days for the snowpack to dry out after a wet storm cycle. With the unprecedented amount of rain our forecast region just saw, there is likely still water flowing through and under the snowpack. This lubricates bed surfaces and creates a risk for isolated chunks of snow to fall off unsupported perches. A bit more water on top could reawaken wet snow instability. Pay attention to the terrain above you and don't cross slopes where glide cracks are visible. If you run into sloppy, wet snow where you're sinking down past your boot tops, consider avoiding steep slopes.
(12/13/2025)
A small fresh wet loose on a steep, SE aspect. There are ski tracks to the left of it, so its hard to say if its skier triggered or natural.
Photo: Joe Dellaporta