Mt Hood

Triggering an avalanche is unlikely but not impossible in shady, upper-elevation terrain that may harbor small, stiff slabs of wind-drifted snow. These pockets of wind-blown snow are broken up by large stretches of scoured, icy crusts that could allow for long, sliding falls in steeper terrain. Be mindful of lingering wind drifts in alpine terrain and bring the proper mountaineering gear for firm snow on Saturday. 

Saturday will bring a cooling trend as freezing levels start to drop ahead of an incoming system. This cooling trend is reducing concerns about reactive wind slabs and limiting wet-snow avalanche concerns. While the reactivity has decreased, that doesn’t mean you can’t find isolated pockets of unstable snow that could be consequential in complex terrain. With the amount of firm surfaces that exist around Mt Hood, any triggered avalanche could allow for a long, uncontrolled fall.

This past week brought anywhere from 2 to 4 inches of new snow on March 26th. This new snow fell over a widespread supportable crust that is several inches thick. Unfortunately, this small system also brought a period of strong winds, creating a mixed bag of conditions across the zone. As you climb into more exposed middle and upper elevation terrain, expect plenty of scoured icy surfaces broken up by ribbons of wind-drifted snow. Friday brought warm temperatures and strong sun, so be ready for any icy morning on slopes that caught solar input previously.  

The danger may be low, but still keep a few things in mind if you decide to climb or ski on Mt Hood on Saturday:

Wind slabs: While wind slabs are trending unreactive on most slopes below 7500 ft, that may not be the case on higher elevation, shaded aspects or above NWAC’s upper elevation band on the upper mountain. Look for and carefully assess for these small pockets of wind slab. These pockets of wind drifted snow should be easier to identify since they’ll be the stiffer, brighter white pockets of new snow in contrast to the darker ice crust that you’ll find in the alpine. Check out the photos in the media gallery for examples. Be suspicious of these wind slabs in shady terrain, particularly near the base of cliffbands and in complex, rocky areas. 

Long, sliding falls:  You’ll find plenty of scoured, icy surfaces and patches of ice as you gain elevation into windier terrain on Saturday. A cooling trend and increasing winds may limit the extent of softening and allow slopes to flash-freeze in the afternoon as they creep into the shade. Bring the crampons, ice axe, and be mindful of the consequences of a slip before engaging in steeper terrain.

Wet loose: These have been limited and should have run their main course by now, but keep wet snow instabilities on your radar if you find sticky, wet snow forming on steep slopes. These would be small and only entrain the few inches of recent snow over the crust. The most common spot to find this wet snow would be on steep, sunny, middle elevation slopes.

Are you heading out? Let us know what you find by submitting an observation here or on ther AvyApp.