Mt Hood

Wind slab activity will be more reactive where winds were actively transporting snow on Thursday through the night. The focus of these winds and more recent drifts is likely in upper elevation terrain. Look for these drifts to be most prevalent on the downwind sides of ridges and saddles, below cornices, and near rocky complex terrain. Shaded and easterly aspects, are likely to maintain reactivity the longest. Steer around steep or poorly supported slopes that roll away below. This is where you are most likely to trigger a slab. Fresh, sharp cornices point to problem areas in upper start zones or where deposits might accumulate near a change in aspect. Expect slabs to be smaller and easier to manage at middle elevation, becoming larger, firmer and more difficult to escape at upper elevations. As a result, trend toward more conservative terrain choices if you head to the highest NWAC forecast elevations, particularly early in the day. Test slopes may help you reveal pertinent information, such as mid-storm layering. Keep in mind that these small slope tests might be less informative when evaluating a larger terrain feature.

After a few cold mid-April days, temperatures will be on a strong warming trend by Friday. Despite cool temperaturates on Thursday, sun-exposed snow below 6000 ft should be glazed by Friday. Less wind affected cold snow above this elevation and on E or W aspects is more likely to be susceptible to the warming. Expect a round of rollerballs when the sun impacts this snow, accompanied by sticky snow, and then point releases. Aspects with a crust may take longer to expose previously dry snow, but if these crusts break down, these slopes could also produce natural or human-triggered wet avalanches. Most of these will be small, but on a longer steep slope, these may start slowly and could grow large, potentially gouging down to the stout 4/14 crust. Head for a shadier slope if you see these signs of warming and reduce your exposure to rocky terrain which will be the first to warm.