East Slopes North

While conditions are generally safe, there's a chance for isolated avalanches above treeline or on steep, sunny slopes east of about Mazama. Snow and avalanche conditions vary widely with relatively deep snowpack near Washington Pass and the Cascade crest and shallow but consistent coverage in the eastern mountains. 

Another chance for avalanches is on steep southerly, sun-exposed slopes, especially in areas of shallow snowpack near and east of Mazama. Observers reported small, loose wet avalanches on Sunday. Warming temperatures and sun could initiate more on Tuesday.

On Monday, observer, Drew Lovell, reported on conditions both north and south of Washington Pass. You may be able to find a layer of large surface hoar about a foot below the snow surface. The layer was buried on December 8th on a variety of slopes but has generally not been a problem for avalanches in this zone. In most locations, the layers above and below are so soft that they've absorbed the grains that otherwise could form a weak layer. If you find tests that break clean and fast at this layer, consider choosing lower-angled terrain.

Over the weekend, a storm brought about a foot of snow to the top of Washington Pass. Observers reported a number of small loose dry avalanches in steep terrain. A small number of slab avalanches were reported from aprons below cliffs or immediate leeward sides of ridges. On Saturday, observers reported two notably deep avalanches on Big Kangaroo Peak, WNW, 7,700ft. While we can't confirm this, there's suspicion that they may have run on older weak layers. On December 3rd, I experienced a large collapse on an adjacent slope in a shallow area (~100cm) of older drifted slabs resting on the mid-November facets. These outliers in the Kangaroo Ridge are contrary to most other observations from mid to upper elevations near the Cascade crest that report the layer as unreactive or less concerning. 

Further east,  the signs of instability are more consistent. Observers have reported collapsing in most valley bottoms and areas of shallow snowpack well east of the Cascade crest. You can find a weak layer of facets in the lower half to third of the snowpack and often under one or two crusts. On Sunday, an observer on Delancey Ridge reported propagating test results on the mid-November facets, 50cm below the surface. Another observer near Sun Mountain reported widespread cracking that propagated 50 yards. Interestingly, there have been few to no reports of related avalanches in these areas.