Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

With sun, fresh snow and warming temperatures, look out for loose wet avalanches on Easter Sunday. Don't go hunting for easter eggs in those piles of fresh, chunky debris. Start early, and limit your time underneath steep slopes that may become unstable with wet, sticky snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Sunday should be the warmest day we've had in over a week, and with plenty of recent snow out there, expect wet snow instabilities to increase during the daytime. Loose wet slides may first begin on easterly aspects in the morning, then activity could spread to south and west aspects by noon. 

    Get an early start, and move off of slopes that receive sun early. Consider sticking to cool, shaded slopes where the snow is dry. If you find moist, sticky snow, recent rollerballs, or fresh wet avalanche activity then move to lower angled slopes. Avoid lingering underneath steep slopes with large start zones, rocky outcrops, or cornices. Evaluate the consequences of small loose wet slides as you move along on your tour.

    Example wet loose avalanches in the Rock Mountain area. 

    Photo: Matt Primomo

  • Wind Slabs

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

    A bump in westerly winds Saturday night may have created shallow, reactive slabs at upper elevations. Look for evidence of recent drifting. If you find shooting cracks in drifted snow or the snow feels 'slabby' stay off of steeper or convex slopes. Winds have generally been light for the past few days, so there is plenty of snow to drift. The question is if the winds will become strong enough to transport much snow or not.

    Cornices may also be fragile from recent growth and could break under the weight of a person.

    (4/12/2022)

    East and NE winds formed drifts and wind features on a west-facing slope. Moonlight area

    Photo: Matt Primomo

Avalanche Discussion

Observers noted shin-deep powder snow in higher, north facing terrain of Whitepine Creek on Saturday. Conditions were favorable for skiing steep slopes with settled storm snow. On Friday, observers noted some small surface hoar and near-surface facets. These weak grains may have stayed preserved on sheltered, north-facing slopes and could be buried under the few inches of fresh snow that falls on Saturday night. On Thursday an observer reported ski cutting a small soft avalanche on N facing terrain of Lichtenberg (see observation and photo below). It ran 3/4 the length of the chute. Large wet loose slides and rollers ran naturally off very steep, cliffy terrain in the afternoon with direct sun, and loose dry slides were easily triggered on shaded slopes. You can find 1.5-3 feet of recent snow over the most significant crust, buried on April 8th. Recent snow amounts will vary, and more snow may have fallen east of the pass last week in an uncommon upslope flow pattern.

Help us finish the season strong by submitting an observation if you make it out this weekend, thanks!

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