Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Avalanche activity will be elevation-dependent on Monday. We have limited information from upper elevations, where large, deep drifts that formed in the last 48 hours could react to a human trigger, so stick to wind-sheltered or lower-angle slopes. Stability should slowly improve throughout the day as we have a brief break in the weather before the next storm comes in. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Wind Slabs

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

    There were a few natural and human-triggered avalanches in the Baker backcountry on Sunday. On Monday, you could still trigger a large avalanche on a wind slab that could bury and kill you at upper elevations. This could also be the case at mid elevations, although it might be a bit harder to trigger an avalanche- but don't let your guard down. Drifts will increase in size and sensitivity as you climb higher. 

    As you climb higher, pay attention to new snow depths and the wind's effect on the new snow. Search for wind slabs, characterized by either textured snow surfaces or smooth, pillow-like deposits. They're most likely to form beneath ridgelines, around rocky outcroppings and other features, and in gullies (see accompanying photo for textbook example). Feel for stiffer, heavier snow beneath you, and search for warning signs like long, shooting cracks. You can dig hand and pole pits to check how the new slab is bonding to the underlying layer. If it springs off easily, that's not a good sign. Steer around steep spots where you identify any of these characteristics. 

    (1/4/2026) A human triggered soft slab avalanche in a wind slab in Mazama Bowl in the Baker backcountry.  You could trigger similar avalanches to this in wind-loaded areas on Monday. Photo: Cameron Maltman

Avalanche Discussion

There was one reported glide avalanche in the Baker backcountry that likely occurred sometime between Saturday and Sunday. While we expect glide activity to be tapering, it’s still not wise to linger beneath open cracks. In addition, one small human-triggered wind slab avalanche was reported in Mazama Bowl (observation), and another large avalanche—suspected to have been triggered by a cornice—was observed in Hollenbacks, both in the Baker backcountry. A brief lull in the weather on Monday may allow stability to improve slightly during the day, but with another significant storm on the horizon, this is a good time to stick to sheltered, lower-angle terrain.

As of Sunday evening, the Heather Meadows weather station recorded 3 inches of water in the past 36 hours. Because temperatures have remained relatively warm, only some of that fell as snow at the station’s 4,200-foot elevation. Most other locations around the zone received a little less. water with this storm. At upper elevations, snowfall totals could be as much as 3 feet, accompanied by thick, well-developed wind slabs. At lower elevations, a few inches of moist snow accumulated on Sunday. Although temperatures are cooling into Monday, you may still find a moist layer beneath the surface; however, we expect any wet avalanche activity to be minimal in the lower-elevation band.

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