Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 2 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

A weak storm will increase the chances of seeing both wet and dry avalanches. Limit travel on or below steep slopes where the snow is wet and manky. Steer around pockets of wind-drifted snow at upper elevations.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    Be on the lookout for fresh wet avalanches, especially if you observe rain falling on drier snow or where wet new snow is accumulating over a crust. Both natural and human-triggered wet avalanches are possible. Pay attention to any snow that starts to move with you when descending. Don’t linger on or directly under places where you see active signs of instability, like rollerballs, pinwheels, or small wet avalanches. They often initiate in steep rocky or treed areas that shed snow onto a steep slope below.

    (1/27/2024)

    Steep, rocky terrain is where you are most likely to see wet loose avalanches initiate.

    Photo: Pete Durr - USFS

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–1.5

    A bit of new snow and moderate to strong ridgeline winds are forecast for Thursday. There probably isn’t enough snow available for transport to see widespread wind slab formation, but you could still find plenty of areas holding fresh, reactive slabs. Actively drifting snow will show you slopes are loading up. You can stomp on wind-drifted features and test slopes to gauge reactivity before entering steep, potentially loaded start zones. Or just find a lower-angled line around them to simply avoid the problem.

    (3/20/2021)

    Use visual clues to figure out where you are most likely to find a wind slab.

    Photo: Dallas Glass

Avalanche Discussion

Field obserations have been limited since the weekend. One person out today in the Baker BC reported good conditions with dry powder on northerly aspects. South aspects were heavily sun affected with wet, unconsolidated snow that made for knee-deep boot penetration when they stepped off of their skis. Any aspect that saw sun in the past two days will likely be topped by crust or at least be thickened up.

Signs of wet avalanche activity that occurred on Tuesday were observed on east and west aspects. No new wet avalanches were observed today, but the slopes where they were mostly likely to occur were also the places where anybody in the mountains today would most likely avoid.

The storm earlier in the week put down about 16" of new snow at Heather Meadows with similar or even greater precipitation recorder at weather stations around Baker Lake and Glacier Creek. Expect less snow as you mover farther east in the zone.

 

Regions covered