Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Thu
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Look for increasing winds and a start to snowfall as another storm approaches the Cascades. Avoid steep slopes where you identify freshly wind drifted snow. Shift to simpler, sheltered terrain as conditions worsen in the afternoon..    

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1–2

    Strong, steady winds with even stronger gusts will surely move some snow around. The amount of instability you find will vary based on how hard the wind blows, how much soft snow is available for transport, and the amount of new snow that falls during the day. Any new snow should be limited to the very end of the day, but pay attention if snowfall arrives sooner.

    Southerly winds often vary in West North, with places like the Baker BC getting positively nuked while Canyon Creek can be more tame. Many southerly aspects have some crust holding loose snow in place, but slopes on the north half of the compass are still quite soft. Snowfall should be the greatest between Mt. Baker/Schriebers and the Baker Backcountry - with 4" new in the forecast - and less in other areas.

    Blowing and drifting snow will show you which slopes are loading up. Monitor the reactivity of fresh slabs throughout the day. Fall back to lower-angle, sheltered terrain when you find significant slab formation or when simple tests like slope cuts and stomping on wind drifted features yield easy results. Shooting cracks or avalanches are also key indicators of instability.

    (2/26/2023)

    Use small, wind-loaded features to test wind slabs.

    Photo: Jason Speer

Avalanche Discussion

Observers reported significantly less instability and avalanche activity compared to prior days. Folks in very steep terrain reported being able to pull out a few small slabs, but they were shallow and had limited propagation. Observed wind effect was also limited, and the biggest hazard to many was dry loose sluffing when descending steep slopes.  Riding conditions were conservatively described as "all-time." Southerly aspects warmed and will likely form a crust, but shaded slopes held onto soft, dry snow

The Persistent Slab problem was dropped due to a lack of reported avalanches suspected of releasing in layers of facets or surface hoar. In addition, this particular problem was likely limited to isolated parts of the forecast zone. We could still see a few large avalanches in isolated areas where this layering still exists and that also see significant new load in the coming days

Regions covered