Stevens Pass

Low danger doesn’t mean No danger. With a sunny day in the forecast, you could see small loose wet avalanches on the warmest slopes. If headed to the alpine, look for and assess pockets of wind-drifted snow before moving into steep and consequential terrain.

Look for signs of instability like rollerballs, cliffs shedding snow, or small, fresh wet avalanches as the day warms. Also note slopes where you find wet unconsolidated snow. If you find the above on just a few terrain features, and they are dispersed in distribution, then the danger is probably Low. If you repeatedly see signs of instability, then assume the avalanche danger is more like Moderate and limit time spent on or below steep sunny slopes and cliffs holding snow.

Stevens Pass picked up an angry inch or two of new snow overnight Monday. With light to moderate winds up high, you might find some fresh wind slab on the leeward side of upper elevation ridgelines, especially the highest terrain like the Rock-Howard-Mastiff ridgeline or in the Chiwaukums. Keep and eye out for the usual signs of wind transport like scoured ridgelines, fresh drifts and wind lips, and slabby, dense-looking snow. Assess for wind slab before stepping onto steep slopes, and move cautiously instead of diving right in.

With lots of crusty snow out there, backcountry travel and observations were on the light side Wednesday. However, an NWAC Forecaster was in West Central west of Stevens Pass north of Hwy 2. You can find their observation here. Challenging travel and tree bombs might be the biggest hazards you encounter on Thursday.