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Out of date — this forecast expired 6 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Above 2500', the avalanche danger is MODERATE  for  WIND SLAB avalanches. PERSISTENT SLAB avalanches remain a concern in upper elevations where the snowpack is weak and shallow.  Elsewhere, the hazard is low.

You may find or trigger lingering pockets of wind-drifted snow. This problem most likely exists near ridgelines, along the sides of steep gullies, or rollovers. Weak snow near the ground remains on the radar, and you could still find trouble in steep, wind-affected, rocky slopes where the snowpack remains shallow. 

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Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Strong winds at the end of the work week have moved snow around, creating pockets of unstable snow. You may find lingering wind slabs in isolated terrain across the forecast area that could still be triggered by a skier or rider.  This problem most likely exists on the southern half of the compass near ridgelines, along the sides of steep gullies, or convex rolls. 

    Watch for signs of wind-affected snow, including a scalloped snow surface, dunes of wind-drifted snow, or actively drifting snow loading a slope. Signs like snowpack cracking or collapsing are clues that you have found this problem. 

    Scalloped slopes below Eldorado Bowl

    Photo: Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center

  • Persistent Slabs

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

    Weak snow near the ground remains a concern throughout the forecast area.

    Despite several weeks without an avalanche on these layers, snowpit tests continue to yield propagating results, and skiers continue to encounter collapsing. This information points to the increasingly unlikely possibility for a skier or rider to trigger an avalanche on weak snow near the ground. 

    • This problem is most pronounced on steep, open, rocky, upper-elevation slopes where the snowpack remains thin and shallow.
    • Mid-elevation terrain harboring old, weak snow on the ground could produce the same problem. Steep gullies are where you'd find it. 
    • Small natural or human-triggered avalanches could accumulate weight and step down into these deeper weak layers, increasing the size and consequence of smaller avalanches. 
    • Some slopes have remained so shallow that recent snow and wind could have built fresh slabs of snow over these weak layers—this could present as the wind slab problem above, but slides may break wider than you expect. 

    (2/4/2026)

    A persistent slab avalanche in Eldorado Bowl from 1/28

    Photo: Hatcher Pass Avalanche Center

Avalanche Discussion

RECENT AVALANCHES: 

No avalanches have been observed or reported since last Friday, 2/13. Thursday, 2/12, a party triggered a D1.5 soft slab on the southwest aspect of Marmot at about 4,300'. On Friday, a skier triggered a similar slide on a similar aspect on Marmot. Last week, forecasters observed several dry, loose avalanches in steep, craggy terrain and small wind slabs on steep, wind-loaded slopes. These were all small D1s that likely ran naturally during a bump in winds on 2/10-11. We have not observed a persistent slab avalanche failing on weak snow near the ground since 1/31. See all recent observations here.

Regions covered