It's been a deadly avalanche season around the West. We've had local tragedies and there have been higher than normal incidences of avalanche accidents in British Columbia, California, Utah, Colorado, and more. What's going on?

Part of the story may be that we've had a trickier snowpack than some years. We've had long periods of no snow that have developed firm crusts and/or surface snows that have gotten coated with a thick layer of hoar frost. Both of these have created sliding layers that new snow, when it comes, has been moving on.

Photo by Kaj Bune. Olivia Cussen of Northwest Mountain School preparing a pit to study the snowpack. Northwest Mountain School (based in Leavenworth) offers many AIARE Level 1avalanche courses throughout the winter (see their calendar).

And part of the story is probably related to the fact that we have more people (skiers, snowboarders, snowmobilers) out looking for fresh snow. Skiing the sidecountry/backcountry has become more popular. Some of this pertains to the media hyping it and some pertains to modern equipment that allows a larger segment of people to fly through (rather than flail in) fresh snow. Although we'll need stats to verify this, we think sidecountry and new backcountry skiers who have converted over from the downhill skiing are more likely to get themselves in trouble. Many in this group have gained an unrealistic sense of comfort skiing steeper ground around a ski resort that has either been controlled with explosives or that has been partially stabilized through skier traffic and skier compaction.

Photo: The terrain doesn't need to be big to be dangerous. A slide on a small roll near Mission Ridge.

Currently we have a lot of new snow and, while it may be tapering down in quantity, more could be coming. Today, the avalanche hazard around the state is high and even extreme in some places. The avalanche hazard (see forecast here) is likely to drop significantly if we only get traces of new snow as the weekend approaches but, if the forecasters are wrong (not unheard of) and we continue to pile up the snow, look for the hazard to remain high. If the hazard does remain high what's a skier/snowboarder/snowshoer to do?

Answer: Pick an avalanche appropriate outing. Some possibilities:

1) If you're not experienced at evaluating avalanche hazard and appropriate terrain, don't go backcountry skiing if the hazard remains high. Go downhill skiing, visit a Nordic resort, or cross-country ski along a Forest Service road. Skiing the Stevens Pass Nordic area, Lake Wenatchee Nordic trails, Five Mile Road before Blewett Pass, or the Wenatchee Crest at Blewett Pass would all be safe outings.

2) If you have a flexible schedule, work when the avalanche hazard is high and tour a few days after large dumps when the snowpack has settled and the hazard has moderated.

3) Find low-angle slopes with trees to ski. The Yodelin, Merritt Lake, and Lanham Lake environs all come to mind here. Tree skiing tends to be safer than skiing open bowls for a variety of reasons  -- there’s less hoar frost development, less wind affect and slab development, and more anchors. After big dumps, however, it is entirely possible to have loose snow avalanches in the trees -- especially when skiers are cutting and destabilizing the snow. These slides may be smaller in size but they're dangerous and can easily rake visitors over obstacles or crush them against the trunks of big trees. Don't falsely assume that, because you are in the trees, the snow is safe. You still need to be thinking about appropriate slope angles and evaluating the bonds between the new and old snow.

4) Migrate to the places that received less snow, less wind deposition, and that have suitable low-angle terrain. We're fortunate to have different zones that get very different amounts of snow and wind. Study the weather, avalanche forecast, and snow telemetry between Stevens Pass, the Icicle Canyon, Mission Ridge, and Blewett Pass to find places where the snow totals, wind, and terrain all work in your favor.  Since March 10^th, Stevens Pass has had 27 inches of new snow and mild winds, Tumwater Mountain has received 13 inches of new snow and fairly mild winds, Mission Ridge has had 12 inches of snow but strong winds averaging between 40 to 50 miles per hour on some of those days. Blewett Pass has had 6 inches of snow but the telemetry here does not give us wind measurements. Weighing all of this together and knowing that there are a fair number of low-angle ridges to ski around Blewett Pass, a weekend like this would have us recommending that you look through our guidebook and decide upon a tour in the general Blewett Pass environs.