West Slopes North

Mountain travel still presents some hazards despite Low avalanche danger.  Keep an eye out for fresh slabs of wind-drifted snow if heading up into the alpine. Cornice falls, glide avalanches, or snow shedding from cliffs is still possible at low and mid-elevations. The decrease in snow cover has made getting around the mountains more complicated with lots of bare ground and open water.

Don't take Low avalanche danger for granted. Fresh snow has accumulated at the highest elevations. While winds are generally calm, stronger winds will come to upper elevations on Sunday afternoon and drift any snow available for transport.  Evaluate wind slab depth and bonding before heading into exposed terrain.

West North should see increasing amounts of sun throughout the day, but there is a low likelihood of seeing many avalanches. At low and mid-elevations, a bit of sun shouldn't add much more to the beatdown our snowpack got from the last few weeks of warmth, rain, and melting. That being said, glide avalanches, cornice fall, and snow shedding of cliffs and rocky terrain are still a thing at those elevations. Upper-elevation slopes that picked up some new snow could also produce rollerballs and small avalanches with some sun. Keep track of what is overhead at all times.

Observers around West North reported generally supportable snow using skis or other floatation.  About 1-2" of new snow fell midday on Friday at 5000' and some very shallow and small but fresh wind slabs were found in wind-loaded terrain around 5500'. Cool temps kept the snow locked up above 4200' or so on Saturday. Riding conditions were reported to be better than expected if you could find a slope with no avalanche debris.

The amount of snow lost in the North Cascades in the past few weeks is startling. Significant snow cover can still be found starting at 4000’ to 5000’ depending on slope aspect and location. But much of the snow is just gone below those elevations. In appearance, the mountains look more like they do in mid-May than early February. Check out NWAC's bi-monthly snow depth climatology report.

In general, mountain travel is a bit difficult with lots of open creeks and lakes and other exposed objects exhumed from the snowpack by heavy rain. Where snow cover is more consistent, thick, chunky avalanche debris is found below most steep slopes from a widespread natural avalanche cycle on Jan 27-28.

Snowmobile access is also challenging. Many groomed roads are mostly melted out to around 4000’ or so, but short stretches of packed snow down low can make for a difficult drive up to where continuous snow cover begins.  In some places, there is no longer enough snow at the road's end if you do make it there.