Avalanche forecast

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The danger is MODERATE above 2500' for Persistent Slab avalanches. The danger is LOW below 2500'.

Look for and avoid steep, wind-affected, and rocky slopes, or places where you suspect the snowpack depth to be variable. Instead, seek slopes that appear to have uniformly deep snow coverage.

You can further hedge your bets by digging down to assess for weak snow near the ground, selecting slopes with clean runouts, and skiing or riding slopes one at a time.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Triggering a slide on buried weak layers near the bottom of the snowpack remains possible. You are most likely to find trouble on shallow, wind-affected, and rocky slopes where the snowpack depth is variable. Unfortunately, many slopes around Hatcher Pass currently match this description. Although it is nearing the end of January, the snowpack remains shallow and in an almost pre-season state. This means you may encounter this problem in surprising places, and you could trigger slides from shallow spots on an otherwise well-covered slope.

    Look for and avoid steep, wind-affected, and rocky slopes, or places where you suspect the snowpack depth to be variable. Instead, seek slopes that appear to have uniformly deep snow coverage. You can further hedge your bets by digging down to assess for weak snow near the ground, selecting slopes with clean runouts, and skiing or riding slopes one at a time.

    Hatcher Pass still has an overall shallow snowpack. Even a small avalanche could have heightened consequences, dragging you into or over rocks and into terrain traps such as drainages.

    (1/19/2026) Ski tracks near this slide suggest that skies may have triggered it. Note the shallow snowpack and drifts near the ridge. Photo: Nate skains

Avalanche Discussion

Continued warm temperatures and sunny skies have softened the snow surface. While unlikely, it is not out of the question that continued sunshine today could result in small wet loose avalanches in very steep terrain. This problem is easy to manage by avoiding lingering under very steep, rocky slopes that are basking in direct sunshine.

RECENT AVALANCHES:

On Saturday, 1/17, a party triggered a small slide on the north side of 4068. On Sunday, 1/18, another party remotely triggered a larger avalanche adjacent to $1000 Run while traversing Hatch Peak ridge (see photo below). Head over to the observation page to see all recent observations. 

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