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Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

You can trigger large and dangerous avalanches in wind-exposed terrain where recent and ongoing winds have built cornices and stiff slabs. Avoid being on steep slopes where you see recent avalanches, wind-sculpted features, or thickly drifted pillows of snow. Stick to wind-sheltered terrain and well-supported, short slopes under 35 degrees.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Given the recent wind, it's best to stay off wind-loaded or leeward slopes 35 degrees or steeper. Stick to sheltered or windward slopes. Be aware of overhead terrain. Don't linger below cornices or in the runouts of large avalanche paths. 

    Gusty wind and light snow will continue into Friday morning. Once the blowing snow subsides, look for recent avalanches or deeply pillowed slabs to indicate the danger. Avalanches could break into old snow layers, including on a crust that was buried on January 3rd. Observers reported a couple of these bigger avalanches on Wednesday. Slides on the crust or involving all of the recent snow on leeward slopes could easily be 4 feet or deeper.

    (1/7/2026)

    Falling cornices resulted in a very large avalanche on a leeward slope of Rock Mtn. SE, 6,600ft

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

  • Loose Wet

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

    In sheltered terrain, you can trigger softer avalanches in the upper layers of storm snow. Skiers triggered point releases over the past 2 days. Most avalanches will be loose and could be moist or wet if the surface snow gets warmed by the sun. If you see the surface snow becoming thicker or moist, expect that it could become easier to trigger avalanches.

    While less likely, it's still possible that slides could break as cohesive slabs. Avoid steep convex features and unsupported slopes. Use test slopes and quick snowpack tests to assess the snow before traveling into avalanche terrain. 

    (1/7/2026)

    An intentionally triggered small loose avalanche involving the top 10cm of storm snow. Skyline Ridge, SE, 5,450ft

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

Three-day storm totals since the 6th have neared 3 feet of snow. In addition to avalanches, deep snow can be dangerous, even fatal, on its own. Travel within sight of your partners, and be ready to dig them out if they fall head-first into the snow or tree wells.

Strong to extreme winds on Thursday formed deep drifts and fresh wind slabs. Observers reported cracking in wind-drifted snow. Visibility was poor, and observations were limited. On Wednesday, observers reported large to very large natural and triggered avalanches on both wind-sheltered and leeward slopes. They found 2 feet of new snow in wind-sheltered slopes at low and middle elevations. A rider was partially buried in an avalanche in Moonlight Basin but uninjured. 

You can find the January 3rd melt-freeze crust about 3-3.5 feet below the surface. While the overlying snow had generally been well-bonded to the crust, avalanche observations indicate otherwise. While information isn't conclusive, the rapid and severe loading of the crust has produced a couple of deeper avalanches. Besides a couple of distant photos, we don't have many details about the upper elevation snowpack. There's no doubt that wind slabs will be very deep, and cornices could be large and easy to trigger. 

There are a few other crusts in the snowpack that serve as good markers. About  1 foot below the January 3rd crust is a thin December 24th crust, which can be found up to 5500ft. A stout crust from December 18th, should now be near the lower third of the snowpack. 

Regions covered