Avalanche forecast

West Slopes South

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
3 · Considerable
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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Dangerous avalanche conditions continue with potential for a large, destructive avalanche on any slope greater than 30 degrees. Multiple buried weak layers, continued snowfall, and warming temperatures all play a role, and your best option is to avoid traveling on or beneath steep slopes. Southern areas may see even greater danger than the rest of the zone.

Avalanche problems

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    On Monday, multiple large persistent slabs were triggered by the weight of a person, by explosives, and even remotely from a distance. As of now, the activity is focused around Crystal Mountain, but a similar snow structure exists across the entire West South.  With more snow on the way, this problem will continue to be active and potentially increase in size.

    Persistent slabs are notoriously tricky to nail down, and it's hard to tell what slopes will and won't slide. Continued snowfall may also produce storm snow instability in sheltered terrain and add to lingering wind slabs on downwind-facing slopes. Keep it simple and avoid traveling on or beneath large, steep terrain. Right now, stepping onto a steep slope is a high-consequence gamble. 

    (2/22/2026)

    A small, remotely triggered avalanche in the Buillon Basin area, failing 14-16" deep on buried surface hoar.

    Photo: Sam Clairmont

Avalanche Discussion

Monday was a proper storm day in the West South zone. Here are the 24-hour snow totals: Crystal Mountain 11", Paradise 10", Chinook Pass 11", and White Pass 13". Crystal Mountain Pro Patrol reported large (D2–2.5) avalanches failing on buried surface hoar (likely the 2/13 or 2/7 interfaces), with some triggered remotely from a nearby ridgeline. While reports from the rest of the zone have been limited, a similar weak snow structure has been documented throughout.

The upper snowpack now consists of 10–15 inches of new snow sitting on cold, low-density snow from the past week. Beneath that lie the 2/13 and 2/7 interfaces, two known weak layers, with the 2/13 composed of preserved surface hoar and the 2/7 containing surface hoar, faceting above and below, and some rotting melt forms deeper down. Below this weak snow, the deeper snowpack remains strong and supportable, with no current concerns.

Another round of precipitation is expected Monday night into Tuesday, with totals varying greatly from south to north. The southern end of the zone could see double the precipitation compared to the northern end. Expect greater danger on the southern volcanoes, especially given the known weak layers in the snowpack, with the potential for slopes to release naturally.

Snow levels are not a slam dunk on Tuesday, and there’s a chance of wetter snow or mixed rain and snow at lower elevations. Keep an eye out for signs of rising wet avalanche danger, such as roller balls, sticky surface snow, snow shedding, and point-release avalanches. Once you start to see these signs, head toward lower-angle slopes.

Regions covered