With the exception of a few inches of snow that fell in the Placer/Skookum zone on Thursday morning, it has been 24 days without precipitation in our region. Surface conditions are made up primarily of thin crusts, hard wind board on ridges and near surface facets (recycled powder) in areas sheltered from the recent winds. Although the avalanche danger has been at LOW for almost two weeks, there are a handful of avalanche problems that could catch you off guard in dangerous terrain. Be aware of the following:
Wind Slabs: Old stiff wind slabs, such as the one triggered on Seattle ridge last weekend, will be stubborn to trigger. Smooth pillowed snow on steep unsupported features or in rocky areas will be the most suspect places to initiate an old wind slab. Small fresh wind slabs are also possible near ridgetops surrounding the Skookum/Placer Valley due to recent snow (2-3″) and moderate winds that kicked up yesterday afternoon.
Loose Snow Avalanches (Sluffs): Loose unconsolidated snow can still be found, and could be fast moving in steep terrain. In Skookum/Placer new snow may be easy to initiate and wet-loose point releases are possible on Southerly aspects due to solar heating. These will likely be small, but keep terrain choices and potential consequences in mind when managing sluff.
Glide Avalanches: Glide cracks continue to slowly open above popular terrain on Seattle Ridge and in other zones across the advisory area. These may release at any time. Minimize exposure time spent under visible cracks.
Cornices: Cornices should always be given an extra wide berth if traveling along a corniced ridge. Like glide cracks, minimize your exposure time spent under these backcountry bombs.
Persistent Slabs and Deep Slabs: There are various weak layers in our thin snowpack. Buried surface hoar sits 1-3+’ below the surface and faceted snow sits in the mid and base of the pack. Given plenty of time and a lack of changing weather, these weak layers (with varying degrees of strength) are in a ‘dormant stage’. Although unlikely, an avalanche breaking deeper in the pack isn’t completely out of the question in areas such as Johnson Pass, Lynx Creek and on the Northern side of Girdwood Valley (near Crow Pass).
Surface conditions around our region are highly variable
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