Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You can easily trigger avalanches on slopes steeper than 35 degrees; some slides could be very large and destructive. Watch for signs of danger like recent avalanches, cracks shooting through the snow, and snow that slides easily. Stay off of and out from under large, open slopes steeper than 35 degrees, especially where winds have formed deep drifts. Be prepared for deep snow and frigid temperatures!

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–3

    Only travel in the backcountry if you're confident in your ability to carefully assess the snowpack and choose conservative terrain options. Avoid large, open, and steep slopes, especially where the wind has formed thick drifts of snow. Make sure to stay out from under start zones and places where avalanches could come down from above. 

    Avalanches will be easier to trigger on leeward and cross-loaded slopes at mid and upper elevations. In these areas, they could be very large and destructive. You can also trigger avalanches in the recent storm snow in wind-sheltered terrain. Here, avalanches could slide as a cohesive slab or as loose "sluff." Use quick tests and small, inconsequential test slopes to check how easily the storm snow slides. If you see classic "red flag" signs of instability like collapsing, cracking, or recent avalanches, stick to low-angle terrain. All the recent snow has stressed deeper weak layers and crusts that were buried in late December. There's a chance for unsurvivable, very large persistent slab avalanches. 

    (1/10/2024)

    Stevens Pass patrol triggered a hard slab avalanche with explosives on a heavily wind-loaded slope.  Stevens Pass Resort, NE, 5,000ft. D2.5, 190cm deep

    Photo: Stevens Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Stevens Pass picked up 15" of snow on Thursday, bringing recent storm totals to over 4 feet since the 8th. Visibility has been poor for much of this time, and we don't know the full extent of recent avalanches. Just from what we know, conditions have been very active. Natural avalanches occurred on the 11th, possibly on the 9th, and a widespread natural cycle occurred on the night of the 8th. Stevens Pass Patrol and WSDOT reported many avalanches triggered by ski cuts and explosives. Most were size D1.5 or smaller, running within the recent storm snow. A few explosive-triggered slides were deeper and ran in layers of older snow (Solstice crust). On the 10th, ski patrol triggered a notably deep (190cm or 6 feet!) size D2.5 wind slab avalanche in heavily wind-loaded terrain. On the 6th, a skier was carried in an avalanche on Valhalla Peak that also ran on the December 30th crust. 

All of the recent snow is stressing older weak layers, especially in the eastern part of the zone. On the 11th, NWAC forecasters went to the Lanham Creek area and found repeatable sudden test results 4 feet below the surface, within a sandwich of crusts and weak layers that formed around the Solstice. The East Central zone is more plagued by persistent slab avalanches on a similar but shallower snowpack structure to our east. On the 10th, a skier remotely triggered a persistent slab avalanche on Dirty Face Mountain, just over the border. In the Stevens Pass zone, the thin Solstice crust is now 4 feet below the surface. While these layers are quickly getting deeper and harder for the weight of a backcountry traveler to impact, it's worth keeping them in mind. Snow profiles below show some of these deeper crusts and weak layers.

Forecast models are showing some of the coldest temperatures we've seen in many winters. Be prepared to stay warm and prevent frostbite and other cold weather injuries. With all the recent snow, deep snow immersion is a concern- beware of falling into tree-wells and open creeks!

Regions covered