Wednesday, March 30, 2011: AVALANCHE WARNING

This should be obvious to almost every backcountry skier based on the forecast, but the avalanche danger is quickly headed towards EXTREME over the next day in the Olympics and much of the WA Cascades. From NWAC:

Avalanche Warning
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OLYMPICS-
WASHINGTON CASCADES-
MT HOOD AREA-

200 PM PDT TUESDAY MAR 29 2011

...AVALANCHE WARNING FOR EXTREME DANGER WEDNESDAY...

THE MAJOR WARM FRONT WITH MOISTURE OF TROPICAL ORIGINS SHOULD MOVE
TO THE NW TUESDAY NIGHT AND MOST OF WEDNESDAY. MOTHER NATURE IS
ABOUT TO APPLY MAJOR RAIN AND WARMING TO WHAT APPEARS TO BE A DEEP
LARGELY UNCONSOLIDATED WINTER SNOWPACK THAT HAS NOT EXPERIENCED
SIGNIFICANT RAIN OR WARMING. TOTAL SNOW DEPTHS ARE AT WINTER MAXES
YESTERDAY AND TODAY AT SEVERAL LOCATIONS IN THE CENTRAL AND SOUTH
CASCADES. THE CASCADES HAD 10-20 FEET OF SNOWFALL LATE FEBRUARY TO
LATE MARCH AND IT HAS REMAINED COOL SINCE. THE RAIN AND WARMING WILL
LOAD AND WEAKEN SURFACE AND UPPER SNOW PACK LAYERS AND SHOULD CAUSE
AVALANCHES ON WEDNESDAY. INITIAL SURFACE AVALANCHES MAY CAUSE
RELEASES TO LAYERS FROM EARLIER IN MARCH OR FEBRUARY OR EVEN
JANUARY. MODELS VARY BUT THESE CONDITIONS MAY LAST INTO THURSDAY AS
WELL. AVOID ALL AVALANCHE TERRAIN WEDNESDAY.

THIS STATEMENT WILL BE UPDATED AS CONDITIONS WARRANT. PLEASE VISIT
WWW.NWAC.US FOR DETAILS.

&&

BACKCOUNTRY TRAVELERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT ELEVATION AND
GEOGRAPHIC DISTINCTIONS ARE APPROXIMATE AND THAT A TRANSITION
ZONE BETWEEN DANGERS EXISTS.  REMEMBER THERE ARE AVALANCHE SAFE
AREAS IN THE MOUNTAINS DURING ALL LEVELS OF AVALANCHE DANGER.
CONTACT LOCAL AUTHORITIES IN YOUR AREA OF INTEREST FOR FURTHER
INFORMATION.

NWAC WEATHER DATA AND FORECASTS ARE ALSO AVAILABLE BY CALLING
206-526-6677 FOR WASHINGTON, 503-808-2400 FOR THE MT HOOD AREA,
OR BY VISITING OUR WEB SITE AT WWW.NWAC.US .

FERBER/NORTHWEST WEATHER AND AVALANCHE CENTER
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Danger Rose for Wednesday
http://www.nwac.us/dangerrose/preview/1427/

www.nwac.us/forecast/avalanche/view/

We found wet loose and slab natural activity today on North aspects descending from Pineapple Pass and triggered a few wind slabs on South aspects at ridge top level between the Tooth and Denny, it should be interesting to see what happens tomorrow from a couch...

that danger rose is gnarly! Granted I have only been paying constant attention to these for the last 3 or so years, but I cant remember one worse.

They only started the roses just this year and, well, it doesn't really get any worse than that.

The next 48 hrs should be fascinating to watch.  The locations that break deep, or otherwise, should serve to help recalibrate an observers sense of 'healed' PWLs, and their spatial arrangement, as well as the recent pits that 'green lighted' a skiers choice.

New ski runs! I want to see some new ski runs opened up. To bad we can't watch the show (from somewhere warm and safe).