West Slopes Central

Snowlines don't start in most places until well over 3000ft, but if you make it above snowline, carry avalanche rescue gear and know how to use it. Prepare for on-snow travel and early season conditions, where you'll find an abundance of shallowly buried rocks, stumps, and open creeks. 

Above-freezing temperatures will continue through Monday.  If we have clear skies overnight you can expect a bit of a surface freeze.  Cloud cover will increase on Thursday. Now that we've had several days of warm temperatures and rain, we don't expect additional wet avalanche activity to continue, although it isn't completely out of the question. 

I went out to the north side of the Mountain Loop Highway on Wednesday. Snowline started after 3000ft and there was a 3 ft snow base at 5000ft. The entire snowpack was moist and there was a slight surface crust from clear overnight skies, although steep, south faces quickly softened. Irregular snow cover and challenging travel in thin, variable conditions was my main concern, not avalanches. You can read my observation HERE. 

There are still plenty of open creeks, exposed or partially buried rocks, and stumps. Stay vigilant to early season hazards. If you get into the snow on Thursday please share with us how it was by submitting an observation. Friday will start warm and wet but temperatures will quickly cool and we're forecasted to get at least a few inches of snow by the end of the day.