Stevens Pass

Stay atuned to snow surface conditions. If the sun pops out and the snow becomes moist and sticky, consider the chance you could initiate small loose wet slides that run on the crust. Steeper slopes could present slippery travel with the slick surface below.

You'll find about 3-5" of newer snow in the mountains, with more snow the higher you go. The cloud cover and temperatures are such that any break in clouds could cause the snow to become moist and sticky. Stay atuned to how snow surfaces change during the day, and small wet loose slides could accompany rollerballs if the sun pops out. Any wet loose slides would be small, but they could run and entrain on the crust. 

Most slopes don't hold enough snow for much wind slab hazard, but if you find recent drifts 6" or deeper and bigger in area than a dinner table, be prepared to identify and avoid features of concern on slopes steeper than 35 degrees. 

Non-avalanche hazards may dominate your risk management decisions. These could include firm and slick travel on crust, these could present a slide hazard especially on steeper slopes. Terrain hazards include open creeks and glide cracks to be mindful of. On Sunday, NWAC forecasters at 5,300ft found frozen surface crusts pencil to knife hard. 

During a prolonged rain event in the last week of January, water transformed the snowpack. On Thursday, forecasters visited a profile study site near Skyline Lake before the snowpack had frozen. You can compare that weak, unfrozen snowpack with more recent observations. Information from upper elevations is still limited, and but its safe to assume more snow fell at higher, alpine locations where temperatures cooled quicker towards the tail end of the event.

If you make it out, please share what you found with an observation.