Olympics

Significant snow that fell through Monday remains low-density and easy to transport into fresh slabs. Wind directions continue to shift, so rely on visual clues to identify slabs. Steer around potential slab locations such as wind-textured surfaces and small, fresh drifts as you head higher in the terrain.

Hurricane Ridge has not seen significant snowfall since early Monday and likely won't pick up much more than a dusting of snow Wednesday night and Thursday.  However, areas in the southern and western parts of the Olympics received moderate to heavy snowfall on Wednesday. Combine this increased danger with a lack of information about the snowpacks in those areas, and you end up with high uncertainty. If you travel into these more remote locations, stick to simple terrain where you can easily identify and avoid the hazard. As the storm continues, the danger should peak late in the afternoon. 

The mountains now have some winter plumage after several storms left more than 3 ft of new snow at Hurrican Ridge this past week. Observations from over the weekend indicate that in many areas the snowpack is soft, unconsolidated, and mostly right-side-up. Consequently, any avalanche hazard likely only exists in places where the wind can continue to drift the soft snow into slightly firmer slabs. Moderate SW winds on Wednesday likely added fresh drifts, shallow slabs, and created nearby textured snow surfaces. Visually identify textured or firm, punchy surface snow to avoid potential problem areas. These conditions often exist on or near ridgelines or in more exposed and rocky features. 

Even with all the new snow, the snowpack still has many early-season characteristics. Its highly variable by aspect, elevation, and location and can leave us with more questions than answers. One layer reported in the Olympics that’s worth keeping an eye on is the thin 12/8 crust. You can find this layer a few inches above the strong icy base of the snowpack, mainly on northerly aspects. If you dig to this layer, see if your snowpack tests fail suddenly or slide easily on weak snow around the crust. With the uncertainty around the variable snowpack and this potential weak layer, consider choosing small low consequence slopes to gain information before traveling in larger and less forgiving terrain.

2021-22 Forecast Schedule: Avalanche danger ratings will be issued for the Olympics every Friday through Sunday and during mid-week holidays. During the week when the Hurricane Ridge road is closed, forecast information will be updated daily to include expected conditions and relevant travel advice under the No Rating label.