Bollettino valanghe

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Pericolo valanghe

Mon
Alta quota
2 · Moderato
Limite del bosco
2 · Moderato
Sotto il limite
1 · Debole
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Non aggiornato — questo bollettino è scaduto 7 months ago. Stai vedendo condizioni passate, non il bollettino in corso.

In sintesi

Cooling temperatures should help recent wet snow to freeze and form a breakable crust throughout the zone. As snow starts to fall, winds will slowly build fresh, shallow slabs on the lee sides of ridges. These avalanches could become bigger and more common on the volcanoes where more snow is expected.

Problemi valanghivi

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There won’t be any wind slabs to start the day. It will take time for this problem to develop, and it will likely only be significant on the volcanoes. As snow begins to accumulate and winds increase mid day, bring this concern to your mind. Blowing snow will help indicate local wind patterns and highlight where slabs may be forming.

    These slabs will be bigger and more common in the afternoon after they’ve had time to grow. Depending on what the snow is like when they start to form, they could trigger easily or quickly glue in place. Wind slabs that are poorly bonded to a firm underlying crust should be more reactive. Use small slopes and drifts to see if these shallow wind slabs crack or fail.

    Even in other parts of the zone, expect the few inches of new snow to form paper-thin slabs on lee slopes during the day. These potential avalanches just won’t be large enough to cause many, if any issues.

    (1/3/2026)

    Example: Blowing snow near ridgelines is a good clue that wind is forming new slabs.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

  • Loose Wet

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

    Partly clear skies Saturday night and cooling temperatures on Sunday should help wet snow to freeze and reduce the impacts of this problem. However, if you don’t find a new breakable crust near the surface, then you may still trigger a slide in the wet, heavy snow still lingering from the last several days. 

    It may take a very steep slope to get the snow moving, but once it does, it could carry you over a cliff or into a creek. Look at the consequences of very steep terrain before committing to the slope if the snow surface is still wet and mushy.

    (1/31/2026)

    Rollerballs and small wet loose slide off of very steep, rocky faces. This is the type of terrain where a small wet loose could be a big problem. 

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Sunday is a bit of a transition day as recent wet avalanche concerns draw to a close, while new dry snow issues develop. Many areas of the zone could experience generally safe avalanche conditions for much or all of the day. Especially if a new crust forms on the surface, but only an inch or two of new snow accumulates. 

This past week, a series of storms brought 6-12 inches of snow to most mid-elevation terrain around the zone. Sadly, temperatures warmed, and rain reached at least 7000 ft, if not higher. This wet recent snow sits over the January Drought Interface. In many locations, this is a stout crust. However, on some higher, shades slope weak facets were found prior to the storms. Several observations near Crystal Mt on Saturday showed these facets were moist and healing quickly. That's a pretty small sample size, and more information is needed. At the moment, we’re only concerned about snow near and above this prominent crust. 

Unfortunately, travel hazards remain a persistent concern this year. Icy slopes, breakable crusts, irregular surfaces, and a laundry list of obstacles all take time and patience to navigate safely. 

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