Bollettino valanghe

East Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Tue
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto last year. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

A small storm will bring an uptick in avalanche danger in wind loaded terrain and closer to the Cascade Crest. These wind slabs won’t be big, but they may be easy to trigger in locations where they form over crusts or weak surfaces. Be mindful of terrain that encourages drifting and consider steering around steep slopes that appear wind loaded. 

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alta quota
    • Limite del bosco
    • Sotto il limite del bosco
    Probabilità
    Possible
    Dimensione
    1–1.5

    While the new snow amounts won’t be impressive (.25 SWE), strong SW winds will easily redistribute new snow into cohesive slabs. These slabs won’t be that large, but they may fail easily on a crust or weak surfaces that exist on shaded slopes. Look for these slabs to become more prominent as you climb into the wind zone. These slabs typically form on the downwind side of ridges, below cliffbands, and near the top of gullies or chutes. However, keep in mind that strong winds can often lead to irregular loading patterns, so you may find some slabs in some weird spots.

     Look and feel for stiffer pockets of snow as you move through wind-affected terrain. Small test slopes or quick hand pits can offer great data points to help you gauge slab reactivity. Shooting cracks are obvious signs you found an unstable slab. 

    (1/6/2025)

    Pay attention to wind rippled snow and cracking as you move through terrain. Steer around steep start zones if you notice signs like this. 

    Photo: Joe Dellaporta

Avalanche Discussion

Unfortunately, the Sunday evening storm isn’t forecast to be that big or impactful for the East South mountains, but it should be enough to build a new generation of shallow wind slabs across exposed terrain. Any wet snow instability should be minor and limited to solar slopes (SW-SE). If you travel closer to the Chinook or White Pass, expect higher snow totals and more heightened avalanche danger. 

NWAC Forecaster Payton Schiff traveled into the Manastash ridge area on Sunday. She reported variable, shallow travel at lower elevations with improving coverage starting around 4500 ft. Northerly aspects harbored 2-3 inches of lightly faceted snow and some isolated pockets of stubborn wind slab. Solar aspects had a more robust crust that struggled to soften due to the strong winds. Check out her full observation here.

Submit an observation to help NWAC forecasters reduce uncertainty and write more accurate forecasts. It can be short, simple, and even anonymous. Visit the Recent Observations page to get an idea of what backcountry travelers are sharing that helps entertain the forecasts in other zones.

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