Avalanche forecast

Hatcher Pass

Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
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Out of date — this forecast expired 7 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

The danger is MODERATE above 2500' for Persistent Slab avalanches. The danger is LOW below 2500'.

Look for and avoid steep, wind-affected, rocky slopes, or places where you suspect the snowpack depth to be shallow and variable. These are the areas where you could trigger an avalanche. 

You can increase your odds of a successful day in the mountains by digging down to assess for weak snow near the ground, selecting uniformly snow-covered slopes with clean runouts, and skiing or riding steep slopes one at a time.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    You are most likely to find trouble on shallow, wind-affected, rocky slopes with a variable snowpack depth. Unfortunately, many slopes around Hatcher Pass currently match this description. This means you may encounter this problem in surprising places, and you could trigger slides from shallow spots on an otherwise well-covered slope. 

    Look for and avoid steep, wind-affected, rocky slopes, or places where you suspect the snowpack depth to be variable. Instead, seek slopes that appear to have uniformly deep snow coverage. You can further hedge your bets by digging down to assess for weak snow near the ground, selecting slopes with clean runouts, and skiing or riding slopes one at a time.

    Hatcher Pass still has an overall shallow snowpack. Even a small avalanche could have heightened consequences, dragging you into or over rocks and into terrain traps such as drainages.

    (1/19/2026) Ski tracks near this slide suggest that skies may have triggered it. Note the shallow snowpack and drifts near the ridge. Photo: Nate skains

Avalanche Discussion

RECENT AVALANCHES:

On Saturday, 1/17, a party triggered a small slide on the north side of 4068. On Sunday, 1/18, another party remotely triggered a larger avalanche adjacent to $1000 Run while traversing Hatch Peak ridge (see photo below). Head over to the observation page to see all recent observations. 

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