Lawinenlagebericht

East Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

Fri
Hochgebirge
3 · Erheblich
Waldgrenze
3 · Erheblich
Unterhalb
3 · Erheblich
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Kernpunkte

Avalanche danger should peak Wednesday night, with dangerous avalanche conditions stretching into Thursday.  Natural or human-triggered avalanches in the new snow may entrain recent snow above a crust and run far distances.  Plan your routes with overhead hazard in the forefront, and be especially wary of large lee open slopes with freshly drifted snow. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Likely
    Größe
    1–2.5

    Colder temperatures, snow showers, and moderate to strong winds will maintain dangerous conditions on Thursday.   You should be most concerned about triggering shallow avalanches in the new storm snow that step down to the 3/8 crust, 1.5-2.5' below the surface at mid and upper elevations and deeper in wind-loaded terrain.   

    Thursday is not the day to step out; give the snowpack time to settle and avoid travelling in or below large steep open slopes at mid-and upper elevations.  Plan your route carefully with a buffer for overhead hazard.  As winds continue to move new snow along ridgelines, natural avalanches remain a possibility.   Avalanches could run long distances and cross elevation bands.

    In more sheltered and less complex terrain, think about shallower storm slab avalanches. You can use small test slopes to see how the new snow is bonding.  Steer around very steep slopes and unsupported terrain features where you might trigger a shallow storm slab.  

    Use caution on steep unsupported rollerovers.  Avoid larger slopes capable of producing larger avalanches.

    Photo from past season: 

    A small slab avalanche, triggered on a leeward slope.  Kangaroo Ridge. 

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1.5–2.5

    The storm cycle over the next few days may "wake up" deeper instabilities in the snowpack.  You're unlikely to receive feedback from the snowpack on these deeper layers as you travel such as whumpfing or collapsing.  If you see evidence of fresh deep avalanches from Wednesday night that broke around terrain features, that's a flashing red sign to step back to simpler terrain.  These facet/crust layers are likely down 3 or more feet in the snowpack.  Continue to factor in the lower likelihood but high consequences of an avalanche this size into your travels until we learn more. 

    (2/26/2026)

    A number of large, natural avalanches on a leeward mid-slope feature. Note blowing snow. This likely ran on a weak layer above the 2/7 crust, ~2 feet below the surface. Cutthroat Lake. E-SE, 6,600ft

Avalanche Discussion

On Wednesday, dry loose was again the most obvious avalanche problem with both natural and human-triggered sluffs reported as snowfall increased.  The storm picked up during the day with good riding conditions reported.  Professionals observed a natural avalanche that released from cliffs and ran to the valley bottom in the Hairpin area.  The avalanche entrained recent storm snow above the 3/8 crust.  There's about 1.5-2' of recent storm snow above the crust in the Washington Pass area, although that depth will grow by Thursday morning with more snow on the way.  The 3/8 crust is widespread through the terrain and formed after a wet and warm period last weekend.  Dry loose avalanches have been running far on top of the crust for several days now. 

Snowpack tests in the Blue L. area on Monday, targeting the 2/7 crust and facets, did not yield any concerning results. While persistent slab avalanches have been less active as of late, weak layers in the snowpack continue to hold our attention. The 2/13 facets above the 2/7 crust can still be found on a variety of aspects and elevations. 

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