Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Unusual southeasterly wind will continue and your main avalanche concern is freshly deposited drifts at upper elevations that could catch you and take you for a dangerous ride. If wind redistributes snow into deposits at mid-elevations then you may be able to trigger an avalanche there too. Avoid steep, wind-drifted slopes, especially when you gain elevation and find more actively blowing snow. 

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Observers found strong winds at upper elevations on Friday. Plenty of snow was redistributed, yet little avalanche activity was reported as of publishing time. Continued moderate wind will likely shift more snow around, and you may find new drifts that could react to a human trigger.

    Some slabs may form in shallow deposits over firm crusts and could slide easily. One observer reported that the wind was scouring slopes back to older, stubborn wind deposits where they traveled. Snow conditions may shift quickly from non wind-loaded to a reactive slab close by.

    Search out actively blowing snow, new cornices, textured surfaces, or fresh drifts to help identify wind-loaded features to avoid. These are most likely to form on steep rollovers, in gullies, or around rocky outcroppings. Easterly winds may mean drifts could form in areas you don't normally expect them to, or further down on a slope than expected.

    New deposits will probably be around a foot deep, but some drifts may be shallower, and others thicker. You can use hand pits or small test slopes to check how reactive these slabs are. For Saturday, avoid wind-loaded slopes greater than 35°.

     

    (2/16/2024)

    Actively blowing snow and recently filled tracks like in this photo, are obvious clues that reactive wind slabs may be forming. Heliotrope Ridge. 

    Photo: Megan Guinn

Avalanche Discussion

Non wind-loaded slopes still exist, and it's where observers found good riding conditions on Friday. The intense sun moistened slopes, and small amounts of wet loose activity occurred. You can expect to find crusts and small new debris deposits on east, south, and west-facing slopes on Saturday. Forecasts show cloud cover, so we don't suspect the crust will soften much over the weekend. 

One observer from Canyon Creek shared a photo of an avalanche, in the media gallery, that propagated far and wide on a north-facing slope at about 5400ft, and was probably a few days old. The crown was suspected to be about a foot deep. We've been finding some weak snow in the layers above the Early February Crust (EFC) and this avalanche may have failed on one of those layers.

In most pits we've found snow is bonding well to the EFC, which is about 1-2ft below the surface at mid and upper elevations. However, one observer reported finding weak, faceted snow 2 feet down, above the EFC on Heliotrope Ridge at 7000 ft on Friday. 

If you make it into the backcountry on this holiday weekend, prepare for shallow, variable snow cover, with crusts and an abundance of holes in the snow that could catch you off guard, especially at lower elevations. Send us an observation so you can help contribute to a better forecast for the zone!

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