Snoqualmie Pass

Even if the sun comes out for a bit, it shouldn’t create significant avalanche concerns. You probably just see piles of rollerballs in rocky terrain. Instead, you’ll mostly need to manage variable and, at times, tricky travel conditions.

A frozen surface at middle and upper elevations put any lingering wet avalanche concerns to bed. Even down low, where the snow remains slushy, your chance of triggering a slide has become incredibly low. 

On Sunday, more sunshine could help soften the surface on steep southerly aspects. With a couple of inches of recent snow, you may see a few rollerballs or very small wet loose slides, but these tiny avalanches should be relatively inconsequential. Increasing easterly winds could put a stop to any softening that occurs on most slopes. 

If you find a rouge avalanche, it will likely be in one of these places. A few blobs of snow still manage to cling to rocky faces. If they haven’t fallen yet, Sunday probably won’t be the day. However, you don’t want to be beneath if it suddenly decides, “Now’s the time.” Similarly, glide cracks exist on many slopes. It’s doubtful one of these “brown frowns” would release, but they are unpredictable. In both cases, pay attention to what’s above you and don’t linger below rocky faces or slopes with crevasse-like cracks. 

In general, your biggest challenge will likely come from the travel conditions. You could encounter punchy wet snow, breakable crust, icy slopes, irregular surfaces, open holes, flowing creeks, glide cracks, and frozen avalanche debris. These obstacles can make even common travel routes…. Let’s just say “sporty.” 

We continue to receive reports of “better than expected” travel conditions. A group of avalanche professionals in Commonwealth Basin Saturday found the new crust grew thicker and stronger. It was generally boot-supportable to near 3800ft. They also reported numerous open creeks flowing high and fast after last weekend’s rain.