Stevens Pass

Temperatures will warm at upper elevations on Sunday. This is likely not enough for a substantive change in the avalanche danger, but steep southern slopes might soften in the afternoon, and a rouge chunk of snow could fall off steep rocks overhead. Use normal caution, prepare for challenging travel, and watch for overhead hazards. 

A gradual warming trend begins on Sunday at upper elevations. This warm-up comes with complex freezing levels, so expect inversions and cold pools forming in low-elevation valleys and low spots in the terrain. After these long couple of weeks with high pressure, there isn't much snow left to shed, but keep an eye out for snow still hanging onto rocks warming in the sun. With continued warming through the next few days, we might see increased wet loose or glide avalanche activity as crusts break down. 

On Friday, I was out in the backcountry near Stevens Pass Ski Area and found soft, dry snow on sheltered northern aspects. Finding these areas takes a bit of tenacious searching, but the sunny skies make the days enjoyable regardless. You will likely need to travel through rough and icy conditions under the forest canopy to access upper elevations and then find those elusive areas without a firm wind crust. Southern slopes might soften with the sun and warm temperatures, but with complex freezing levels, they could remain quite icy. Eastern and Western aspects have breakable crusts of varying thicknesses to navigate. Check surface conditions before committing to steep terrain and bring appropriate equipment for travel, such as crampons and ice axes. A group of skiers were rescued after significant injuries from a long sliding fall near Union Peak on Wednesday, highlighting these potentially dangerous, icy conditions.  

The snowpack on sheltered northerly aspects is weakening. The upper snowpack consists of a layer of surface hoar buried by a dusting of snow over about 1ft of surgery facets resting over the 1/10 melt-freeze crust. A layer of well-developed facets directly over the 1/10 crust produced inconsistent but unstable test results in a snow profile near Stevens Pass on Friday. The next storm is a ways out, but these layers could be problematic with future loading events. 

If you get out in the mountains, let us know what you see by submitting an observation HERE or via the Avy App.