(via e-mail, posted with permission)
Hello Skiers,
There is currently a set of circumstances in the North Cascades / Washington Pass backcountry that we want to make sure folks are well aware of.
The issue is this:
The level of Avalanche danger in the North Cascades right now is perfectly set to kill...being high, (not Extreme) the snow pack is releasing natural slides at an inconsistent rate...we are not seeing a wide spread natural cycle. This being the case, human caused slides are catching recreationalists off guard both in the ease of triggering and in the size and severity of the slides. Suffice it to say that this is a snowpack that has not existed here in at least the last couple of decades. Slides are releasing on a weak layer at or near the ground (the entire snowpack is releasing, full depth!) This is a wide spread weakness that becomes very dangerous above 4,000 to 5,000 feet of elevation on all aspects and especially on lee slopes where wind loading has occurred. This in combination of lack of snow at some of our traditionally safe touring areas is pushing people into terrain
that is not manageable given the conditions.
A cavalier attitude about this snowpack will put you in your grave as it did for twelve snowmobilers throughout the west last Sunday. In the Methow Valley alone there were four reported near misses between Sunday and Monday. (not counting the one fatality!) In these instances people were caught, carried, and/or injured by avalanches...some of these people were highly educated in snow science and were using practices usually known to be safe. One such group was not even in avalanche terrain, they were in flat terrain beyond the runout zone and were caught by a large slide from far above.
If you or people you know have been out within the last week in avalanche terrain, you too have dodged a bullet. We recommend that people stay clear of avalanche terrain (on or above you) or avoid the backcountry all together until a significant warm up and/or rain event occurs to sufficiently stabilize the snowpack. We should not be surprised if more people are killed by avalanches in the coming days or weeks.
Please consider other forms of recreation until this lethal snowpack settles out.
Finally please forward this on to other folks who would benefit from this information.
Alpine Cheer,
Larry Goldie
IFMGA Certified Mountain Guide
Owner / Lead Guide
North Cascades Mountain Guides, LLC
2 Country Road
Mazama, WA 98833
509-996-3194
Check out our website!
www.ncmountainguides.com
(edited for regional / location information)
