Snoqualmie Pass

A freezing snow surface should all but eliminate avalanche concerns. Unfortunately, this often means variable travel conditions with punchy snow, breakable crusts, icy surfaces, open holes, flowing creeks, and piles of avalanche debris.

It’s definitely not cold out there, but at middle and upper elevations, it’s cold enough to start forming a crust over all the recent wet snow. This should help all but end our wet avalanche concerns. Even at lower elevations where the snowpack remains wet and punchy, the possibility of triggering a slide has become quite low. 

There are three main scenarios where you could encounter a very isolated avalanche. 

1. A few patches of snow still manage to cling to steep rocky faces. If they haven’t fallen down by now, they probably won’t but don’t tempt fate. Don’t linger underneath rocky slopes. 
2. Glide cracks can be seen on many steep open areas. These unpredictable avalanches can occur even after temperatures cool. Be leery of any time spent below crevasse-like cracks in the terrain.
3. If the surface crust breaks down, wet snow below could still slide downhill. This would be most likely in very steep, unsupported, and rocky areas. If you punch deeply into wetter snow, seek out lower-angled and more supported slopes. 

While avalanche issues aren’t much of a concern, travel conditions have grown on the hazards list. Punchy snow, breakable crusts, icy surfaces, open holes, glide cracks, flowing creeks, and piles of debris can all make even simple travel more adventurous. 

It’s not all doom and gloom. Observations from Friday indicated a generally supportable surface above about 4000ft. This resulted in smoother travel, especially with a dusting of new snow and a bit of sunshine. The surface crust was still thin (2-3in), but should continue to grow Friday night as temperatures dip.