U.S. Forest Service Cautions Visitors About Avalanches, Thin Ice & Other Hazards

The U.S. Forest Service is warning recreationists and visitors to the National Forest about several potential hazards during the winter season.

Forest officials say everyone visiting the forest should be well prepared for changing weather conditions and always check the National Weather Service’s mountain forecast page and the latest conditions and forecasts from the Northwest Avalanche Center before heading into the forest.

Spokesperson, Robin DeMario, with the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest says there are no areas in the National Forest where avalanche control measures are performed.

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"We don’t do avalanche control in the national forest, that's only done in ski areas and along major roadways. That’s why it's so important for backcountry users to be well versed in identifying avalanche conditions in the field and to let someone know where they are going and when they are returning. If you are not an expert at reading avalanche risk factors or snowfield conditions, you might want to re-think your plans."

With a lack of significant snowfall so far this season, visitors can still access many areas in the forest which are typically difficult or even impossible to reach during most winters, but DeMario says this also means be particularly cautious when attempting to travel to these places.

"Due to the storms and floods in December, there are many obstacles, landslides, and trees that have fallen across forest trails and roads. Most trails won’t start being cleaned until spring. Please report downed trees and road and trail maintenance needs to us (Forest Service). In addition to the trees that fell in December, there are trees that may be leaning and could be hazardous to recreationists."

DeMario says skiers and snowboarders need to be especially careful and watch out for trees and broken tree limbs which could potentially fall.

In addition to these hazards, DeMario says ice can also be very dangerous this time of year.

"Ice can appear solid but can fail without warning, so please stay off frozen ponds and lakes unless you can confirm it's safe. The same applies to ice bridges. Test them with a ski pole and don’t walk over waterways if you don’t know the ice or snow depth. Streams that appear to be solidly frozen may have weak spots hidden by snow that you may not discover until you fall through."

The latest warnings from the Forest Service come in the wake of the deaths of two elderly women in the Olympic National Forest who were struck by a falling tree near Brinnon last week.