Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Out of date — this forecast expired last year. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

New snow and some wind are on the horizon. Avoid steep slopes holding freshly wind drifted snow. This is more likely at upper elevations, but you could also find it lower down as well. Cliffs shedding snow, cornice fall, and glide avalanches are still potential issues until we see prolonged cooling.

Avalanche problems

  • Glide Cracks

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

    Don’t linger directly under cornices, snowy cliffs, or glide cracks lurking in the terrain above you. The likelihood of seeing additional wet avalanche activity or cornice falls is quite low, but it’s not totally out of the question. If a glide slab or cornice does come unglued from the mountain, it shouldn’t have much difficulty getting a bunch of wet snow moving down the hill. A falling cornice can trigger a larger avalanche on the slopes below.

    (12/18/2024)

    Rocky, snow-covered terrain can still shed snow until we have consistent cooling.  

    Photo: Irene Henninger

  • Wind Slabs

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

    After a bunch of wet, too warm weather, new snow will accumulate at mid and upper elevations. Moderate to strong winds are forecast throughout the day as well. This is the setup to transition back to dry snow avalanche problems.

    Actively blowing and drifting snow should show you the slopes where you are most likely to trigger a slab. With a wet crust below the new snow, it will be easy to track new and wind drifted snow depths as you gain elevation or change aspects. You might find shallow, unstable slabs in wind-sheltered terrain in locations that most snowfall.

    (2/25/2023)

    Small wind-drifted features can show you if wind slabs are a problem to look out for

    Photo: Jason Speer

Avalanche Discussion

Unsurprisingly, most people are still avoiding travel in snow-covered mountain terrain. An NWAC Forecaster in the Baker Backcountry reported plenty of prior avalanches but none that appeared to have released overnight or during the day on Thursday. The snowpack at low elevations was heavily melt and rain affected. At 5000’,  wet or moist snow was only found in the top 16-24”. No significant weak layers were reported, and overall, the upper snowpack is well bonded besides areas where water is pooling above crusts or other barriers.  Uphill travel was easy on supportable wet snow. Going downhill was not so easy.

Regions covered