East Slopes Central

Right along the Cascade Crest, you may run into some recently wind drifted snow at upper elevations, or some loose, wet snow on sun exposed slopes. Take a moment to evaluate the steep slope you plan to jump into for terrain traps so you don't get into a sticky situation if you trigger a small slide. Avalanche conditions are generally safe further east in the zone where no new snow exists.

Uncertainty lies in how much recent snow exists along the Cascade Crest and at upper elevations due to finicky weather station data and a lack of observations. An NWAC Forecaster traveling in the French Cabin area on Thursday reported 4 inches of new snow at 5000 ft that was slightly wind-affected along ridgelines. On the same day at Stevens Pass in White Pine Creek (near the border of the two zones), another NWAC Forecaster observed extensive wind effect and large, natural wind slab avalanches at upper elevations. On Friday, skiers triggered a large slide in exposed alpine terrain on Snoqualmie Pass. As double the amount of snow could have fallen at 6000 ft or higher in East Central, keep this problem on your radar if you plan to travel to upper elevations immediately adjacent to the Crest on Saturday. 

Friday was as forecasted: sunny and warm. Observations from Stevens Pass reported a widespread natural wet loose avalanche cycle. It is likely that a similar cycle happened in the East Central zone along the Cascade Crest, where recently fallen snow is. Saturday will be a bit cooler and cloudier, but don't completely rule out the chance of still triggering a small wet loose avalanche by the afternoon. Watch for moistening snow surfaces and don't linger under cliff bands where snow could shed from.

If you are in the farthest northwest reaches of the zone, you may encounter even more snow thanks to a large storm system from earlier in the week. Conditions could align more with the East North zone, where reactive conditions were reported throughout the week. Consider giving that forecast a read if you're planning an objective in that area, so you can equip your backcountry toolbelt with as much information as possible to stay safe.

This recent snow sits atop hard crusts formed by rain and warm weather last week. So far, observations indicate that these crusts are not as thick and supportable as they are in other zones. At lower elevations, they are breaking down on warm, sunny days. At middle elevations, below the crust, there is snow that still retains a small amount of moisture but seems to be drying and stabilizing well. There is no data for upper elevations.

Other non-avalanche hazards abound. The zone is riddled with open creeks, random holes, exposed logs, and rocks. Lower elevations and south-west facing slopes are especially grim. Take your time as you travel around and plan for difficult mountain access.