Snoqualmie Pass

Sunshine and minimal avalanche hazard should persist at Snoqualmie Pass on Saturday. Continue to prepare yourself for variable travel conditions that could take more time and effort to manage than you are used to.

Saturday looks like another beautiful day in the mountains for the Snoqualmie Pass zone. Observations from Friday indicate about 2 inches of recent new snow on top of a relatively strong snowpack composed of multiple crusts, rounded grains, and refrozen meltforms. The strong snowpack and lack of new weather input will allow generally safe avalanche conditions to persist on Saturday. If you take the opportunity presented by low hazard to explore new terrain or visit your favorite spot, you should find the recent snow sitting on a variety of old snow surfaces including breakable crust, dry snow, frozen avalanche debris, and icy slopes. We have had a lot of messaging about difficult travel conditions the past few days revolving around these variable surfaces and that hazard will continue on Saturday. Although adding new snow should help conditions, we have found that it is not well bonded to the previous snow surface and may hide hazardous surface conditions that were easily identifiable just a few days ago. Steep icy slopes can present a slide for life hazard, while getting tripped up by variable conditions could have poor results in consequential terrain. Continue to travel cautiously, planning enough time and bringing the right equipment to deal with these difficult travel conditions.

During the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, continue to follow the latest guidance from local, state, and federal health officials. Avoid unnecessary risks that could impact first responders and stress medical resources.  Wear a mask when appropriate, practice social distancing, and consider recreating closer to home.