Lawinenlagebericht

Snoqualmie Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Tue
Hochgebirge
2 · Mässig
Waldgrenze
2 · Mässig
Unterhalb
1 · Gering
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Kernpunkte

As the recent storm snow heals, turn your attention to features where you’re most likely to trigger a slide. Very steep slopes, convex rollovers, rocky/complex terrain, and wind loaded areas should be the most suspect. Start on smaller low consequence slopes before stepping out into bigger terrain.

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–2

    The likelihood of avalanches should drop on Monday as a break in the weather gives the snowpack a moment to heal. This can take some time, so, patience is often key. After several stormy days, there’s a lot of snow, complete with subtle layers, changes in density, and even a few crusts on sunny aspects. While we’re mainly worried about the uppermost 8-12 inches of storm snow, there’s a chance you could see an isolated slab break onto older interfaces back to the 3/4 or even atmospheric river (AR) crusts. 

    Small slopes, hand pits, and uptrack tests can help you look at the most recent snow. However, it will take a shovel and a bit more time to check out the rest of the upper snowpack. If you see any cracking or the snow failing blocks, step back and stick to lower angled or treed terrain. Since we’re more worried about wind loaded areas, keep your eyes peeled for clues. Drifts, wind lips, and cornices all point toward wind affected terrain. In these spots, avalanches could trigger more easily and be deeper.

    (3/15/2025)

    A slab avalanche in Great Scott Bowl that was triggered by skiers traveling in nearby terrain. 

    Photo: Stephen Heath

Avalanche Discussion

After several stormy days, we should see a break in the action Monday. There’s even a chance for sunshine in the morning. With a strong March sun, it won’t take much to get trees and rocks to shed some snow that could trigger loose slides on the slopes below. We think clouds should roll in and put an end to the wet loose action before it gets out of hand. Even still, if it’s sunny and warm, expect wet loose avalanches. Cloud forecasting is tricky, so lean heavily on the “now cast.” What’s the sky doing right now?

After several stormy days, there’s a lot going on in the upper snowpack. You might find something different depending on aspect, elevation, and how far east/west you are in the zone. While the nuances can be important, generally these layers are gaining strength and healing. Observations report mostly right-side-up snowpack conditions. 

On Sunday, travelers reported a few loose avalanches in very steep terrain. Some ran quite a ways downhill. Fortunately, slab avalanches seemed less common. One avalanche professional intentionally triggered a shallow (5-inch deep) storm slab near Snow Lake. The most interesting observation lately was a remotely triggered slab avalanche in the basin leading up to Pineapple Pass. While slightly wind affected, it’s a common travel corridor and several local professionals noted a remote trigger on this slope is very, very rare. 

At lower elevations, Sunday’s warm temperatures likely helped the snow gain strength. While there could be a few lingering wet loose issues down low, smaller amounts of new snow limit the potential size of any avalanche and hazard. 

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