Boletín de aludes

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Peligro de aludes

Mon
Alta montaña
3 · Notable
Límite del bosque
2 · Moderado
Bajo el límite
1 · Débil
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Desactualizado: este boletín caducó 7 months ago. Estás viendo condiciones pasadas, no el boletín vigente.

Lo esencial

Another round of wet snow and strong winds is expected Sunday morning. Stick to sheltered, lower-angle terrain until stormy conditions taper off. If you’re seeing rain instead of snow, wet avalanches are still possible—especially on very steep slopes and below rocky terrain.

Problemas de aludes

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Likely
    Tamaño
    1–2

    Mid-elevation rain should transition back to wet snow with the next storm. Expect snowfall totals ranging from a few inches to as much as a foot, depending on elevation, temperature, and where you are in the zone. Snowfall—and avalanche danger—will likely peak during the morning, when snowfall rates are highest, and winds are strongest.

    Unstable snow should be limited to wind-loaded terrain features, but pockets of instability may also exist in more sheltered areas. Use small test slopes and hand pits to assess the bonding of the layers of new and wind-drifted snow. Long shooting cracks or recent avalanches are clear red flags that the snow is unstable and that triggering avalanches on steep slopes is likely.

    Shooting cracks are a sign that the snow is definitely unstable.

    Photo: Irene Henninger

  • Loose Wet

    • Alta montaña
    • Límite del bosque
    • Bajo el límite del bosque
    Probabilidad
    Possible
    Tamaño
    1–2

    Fluctuating snow levels at mid elevations may bring alternating periods of rain and snow. Wet avalanche activity could increase where fresh snow is followed by warming temperatures or rain. Wet avalanches are most likely below steep rocky headwalls and cliffs, but cold also be triggered on any slope steep enough to slide. Avoid travel on or below steep terrain where the snow is becoming wet and mushy, or where you see fresh rollerballs, pinwheels, or very small avalanches.

    (1/29/2026)

    Recent wet loose avalanche on the north side of Table Mt above Iceberg Lake. Northwest aspect at 5300'.

    (WL-N-D2-S)

    Photo: Harrison Brickman - Bellingham Mountain Rescue

Avalanche Discussion

The warm and wet weather continues. While the better part of the morning stayed dry-ish, Heather Meadows picked up a quick half-inch of rain between noon and 3 pm. As can be expected, some natural avalanches were observed at the same time with small but long-running wet loose on the north side of Shuksan Arm. A cornice failure and a few wet loose avalanches, up to D2 in size, starting at ridgeline on the north side of Table Mt above Iceberg Lake, were also observed.

An NWAC Forecaster in Canyon Creek reported a small loose wet avalanche initiating in extreme terrain off the northeast side of Bearpaw Mt. There was about 6” of saturated snow over the Jan 28th crust at 5000 feet, with an increase to 12” over the crust in slightly wind-loaded terrain at 5600 feet. In the Baker Backcountry, observers report 12-16 inches of snow over the crust at mid-elevations, with more likely at upper elevations. 

In general, the wet snow was observed as becoming less reactive at 4000 to 5000 feet, but rain and warmer temperatures moving into slightly higher elevations got wet snow moving, which in turn entrained more wet snow and ran down into mid-elevation terrain.

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