Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

There are no recent observations from the Haines Pass area.

That being said, In White Pass on Saturday there was a skier remote triggered (from a distance) cornice fall which subsequently triggered a size 3 persistent slab avalanche on a northeast aspect at 1750m. The trigger point was at a thin spot on top of a flat ridgetop. The fracture was 200cm deep and was suspected of running on a layer of facets sitting on a crust buried in January. Although relatively far away, this correlates with a layer that exists in Haines Pass.

If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you are seeing by submitting a report to the Mountain Information Network.

20-25cm of new snow has likely accumulated Friday through Saturday. This snow will most likely be soft and low density in sheltered areas, but stiffer wind slabs could form in open terrain. This snow is falling on wind-pressed layers in the alpine and on a rain crust below 1300 m.

Weaknesses in the mid and lower snowpack are unlikely to produce avalanches under the current conditions. A weak layer of surface hoar/crust/facets buried in early January is now over 1 m deep in most areas. The lower snowpack consists of basal facets, particularly in thin snowpack areas.

Sunday Night

Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries, light to moderate west and northwest wind, alpine temperature around -11 °C.

Monday

Mostly sunny, light to moderate northwest wind, alpine temperature around -8°C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with scattered flurries, 3-5cm of accumulation, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature around -7 °C.

Wednesday

Cloudy with flurries, accumulation 1-4cm, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature around -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
• Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.