Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 4 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

As westerly winds pick up a bit on Friday, blowing snow could form soft but reactive slabs in the alpine, and some exposed locations lower. Check for cracking as you gain elevation, and steer around steep slopes with fresh drifts. Be aware that loose-dry sluffing could also occur with the new snow on very steep slopes.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    Shallow wind slabs could be reactive at upper elevations on Friday, and in pockety locations lower in elevation. As the next system approaches winds should blow from the west and increase just a bit during the day. Slabs could be especially touchy if they are freshly forming and rest over a layer of surface hoar.  Check for cracking in wind affected snow. Look for signs of drifting such as lightly bouncing snow, cornices, and textured surfaces. Steer around obviously loaded portions of very steep slopes.

    Slabs should be fairly shallow in nature and not very dense, but we do have uncertainty with deeper layers of the snowpack above 6,000ft, and on the eastern edge of the zone.

    Loose dry avalanches, or sluffs could easily run on very steep slopes outside of wind-affected areas. Be aware of this hazard when entering larger features or consequential terrain.

    (12/3/2022)

    A recent skier-triggered slab near Paradise caught and carried an individual for a short distance. No burial or injuries were reported.

    Photo: Sarah Ehm

Avalanche Discussion

Upper elevations picked up around 6" of new snow at the pass on Thursday. Easterly winds were light to moderate, but sustained for a 12 hour period as the cold front came in. Some minor cracking was observed on wind affected slopes, and some minor loose dry sluffing. On Friday an approaching storm may create a slight bump in wind speeds, cloud cover and some light snow. An important note, the new snow is likely to have buried a layer of surface hoar that had a number of days to grow before this storm. In some areas, it may have melted or been blown over by wind, in others it could be well preserved beneath a soft blanket of snow. Look for surface hoar just under the surface of recently fallen snown wind-sheltered slopes. Shovel tilt tests work well to discover it, as it is often hard to find with a small amount of very soft new snow on top. It could create reactive slabs as more snow accumulates this weekend.

Layers of weak snow and crusts were buried by a series of storms in mid to late November. This layer is now near the ground, and has been observed to be gaining strength and rounding. These older layers generally haven't been a problem for avalanches in this zone as much as in the East Central zone, though future storms could be enough to activate deeper layers.

It's still early season and the snowpack may be hiding shallowly buried hazards of rocks and stumps, especially at lower elevations. Let us know what you see by submitting an observation!

Regions covered