A clear and very cold day is on tap today after a high-publicized snow event moved out yesterday. Despite a lot of cheering, our region came in near the end of the snow total race – seeing only few inches of new snow since Thursday. That said, low snow cover hazards remain below 2,000′ – hitting rocks, hooking alders, slipping on overflow ice, etc. But, there is fun skiing and riding to be had at the upper elevations! Keep in mind, many areas have a hard and slick surface under the top 4-6+” of loose snow which can make travel up, or down, in very steep terrain challenging.
Things to watch for if you are headed to the mountains:
Wind Slabs
Northwest winds picked up yesterday along Seattle Ridge and have continued to blow in the 15mph zone overnight. With several inches of loose snow available for transport, not only will these winds do some damage to riding conditions but also may form wind slabs on leeward slopes in the 6-8″ category. The Southeast face of Seattle Ridge is suspect along with other areas that may be affected by the Northwest winds. Any slabs found should be shallow, soft, drifted into pockets, easy to identify and avoid. Watch for smooth rounded surfaces and cracking in the snow around you. Before jumping into a line, sussing out the potential for a wind slab will be key.
Loose snow avalanches
Watch your sluffs on steep sustained slopes (> 40 degrees). These should be fairly low volume – composed of the top few inches of the snow.
Glide Avalanches
Glide cracks loom over terrain folks are traveling and avoidance is not always possible. However, limiting time spent under these – not stopping for lunch for instance – remains prudent, despite the cold temperatures.
Cornices
Cornices are hard and may pull back further than expected if you are traveling over them or messing around with them.
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