Lawinenlagebericht

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Lawinengefahr

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

Snowfall is expected to continue throughout the day, with temperatures slowly rising. Stick to sheltered, lower-angle slopes and choose terrain that will not present additional hazards due to a thinner, early-season snowpack. As you gain elevation, more wind and snow will increase the avalanche danger. 

Lawinenprobleme

  • Storm Slabs

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

    Depending on your elevation and where you are in the zone, we may receive another 6 inches of snow during the day on top of the foot+ of snow that fell Saturday.  Temperatures will slowly increase during the day, with a few inches of snow falling in the lower-elevation band Saturday night. Snow levels will rise towards the mid-elevation band, and snow surfaces will get heavier throughout the day.

    You can find instability where a stronger slab, or heavier snow, sits over a slightly softer layer of snow. This could be the case as temperatures increase, or in areas where wind drifts snow into heavier slabs. Search out strong over weak snow layering by using simple tests like hand pits and small test slopes. Avalanches could be limited to the new snow layer or to additional recent snowfall.  Long, shooting cracks and new avalanches are obvious red flags that avalanches can happen.  Stick to lower angle terrain as this storm continues, especially if you find any red flags during your outing.  

    Example photo: Slopes that could still have shrubs poking through may have enough of a continuous slab to avalanche. 

  • Loose Wet

    • Hochgebirge
    • Waldgrenze
    • Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
    Wahrscheinlichkeit
    Possible
    Größe
    1–1.5

    A subtle uptick in the snowline throughout the day on Sunday could result in small wet loose avalanches. They may be triggered by tree bombs above steep slopes, or you could initiate one. A wet loose avalanche may happen in areas where the snow isn't very deep, or even without a continuous snow layer. In some cases, especially at the lower elevations, triggering or getting caught in an avalanche probably won't be a problem unless you're in a high-consequence area where a small slide could bury you deep in a gully or push you off a cliff. If you notice snow getting wet and sticky, or see small rolleballs running down steep slopes, be aware that wet loose avalanches could result. 

    (12/5/2025)

    These tiny rollerballs were in shallow, inconsistent snow on cut banks. They may not be of concern, but they are an indicator that larger wet avalanches could occur in bigger areas with higher consequence.  4000ft at the Anderson-Watson Sno-Park. 

    Photo: Irene Henninger

Avalanche Discussion

Sunday's weather is not as remarkable as the next few days, where we can expect to receive several inches of water, resulting in feet of snow at upper elevations. While challenging travel may be the name of the game over the next few days, the flood warnings at the lower elevations will give way to increased avalanche activity on snow-covered slopes. 

Lower elevations have very little snow, but the snowpack is growing at higher elevations. I went to the Anderson-Watson Sno-Park on Friday and found around a foot of snow at 4300ft. It was easy to walk, without requiring any flotation. Conditions will change quickly as you gain elevation, and, most notably at upper elevations, it'll suddenly seem like winter. Some weather stations and observers are reporting  3-6 or more feet of snow. Information, especially at upper elevations, is limited. Midway down the snowpack at upper elevations, a mid-November crust exists. Below about 5000ft, the crust might constitute the bottom portion of the snowpack. 

Most slopes do not present as they might in mid-winter. Snow has not yet smoothed the landscape, and features are very different from how they may look in a month or two. This could mean that your travel behavior could be different- gullies exist where they may not mid-winter, and some slopes may be steeper than when they're filled in with snow. Scree surfaces may not yet be covered, making for a minefield of hazards, and in general, early-season hazards exist in abundance. 

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