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. Steer away from glide cracks or holes in boulder fields and creeks.

Avalanches are unlikely, though not impossible.  The most concerning recent observation, though an outlier, is 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, especially if the sun warms steep sunny slopes. Glide avalanches are difficult to predict and they can release with little warning. There are isolated rock slabs capable of producing these avalanches in the Stevens Pass zone.

If skies clear more than expected, the sun could soften steep sunny slopes. You may even see rollerballs or a small wet avalanche.  A few small wet avalanches occurred on Wednesday.  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.

Observers on Wednesday reported surface hoar on all but sunny slopes. On Tuesday, I found light, dry snow on most surfaces. On steep sunny 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.

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.