Stevens Pass

While avalanche conditions are generally safe, there are considerations to keep in mind. Expect variability with wind-affected terrain at upper elevations and lingering storm layers that are still gaining strength. You may see glide cracks on rock slabs or holes in boulder fields and creeks.

Avalanches are unlikely, though not impossible.  The most concerning observation, though potentially an outlier, is of a large glide crack opening on a southeast-facing rock slab on Jove Peak. Stay off of and well out from under slopes with glide cracks. Glide avalanches are difficult to predict and they can release with little warning. There are isolated rock slabs capable of producing glide avalanches in the Stevens Pass zone.

If the sun warms steep sunny slopes more than expected, you could see rollerballs or even a small wet avalanche. Wind could increase on the highest peaks on Thursday, but you probably won't find snow available to transport. Older wind-drifted slabs are now difficult to trigger. Finally, a couple of interfaces were buried last week, including patchy surface hoar, and have been slow to heal. You can find the layers in snowpack tests about a foot below the surface, but they haven't been a problem for avalanches.

On Tuesday, I found light, dry snow on most surfaces. On steep southeast through southwest slopes, I found a weak sun crust just under the surface with a thin layer of weak snow above. The interfaces buried December 8th (surface hoar) and 9th were visible in tests in the top foot of the snowpack, but becoming harder to initiate and more resistant. When compared to the fast and clean shears I found on Sunday, this shows a trend that the layer is gaining strength. Since the storm of the 9th, we haven't received reports of avalanches involving surface hoar.

Layers of weak snow and crusts were buried by a series of storms in mid to late November. This layer is now near the ground and has been observed to be gaining strength and rounding. These older layers generally haven't been a problem for avalanches in this zone as much as in the East Central zone, though it's something to consider, especially where the snowpack is less than 4 feet deep.