Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Sun
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Saturday will be the warmest, sunniest day in at least a week. You can trigger wet avalanches on steep slopes at most aspects and elevations. At upper elevations, there's still a chance that you could trigger slab avalanches in recently wind-drifted snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

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

    On Saturday, wet avalanches may be easy to trigger on underlying slick crusts. While loose avalanches will be shallow and predictable, they can become forceful and dangerous. Use small test slopes to see how easily the snow slides before committing to bigger terrain. Use caution near terrain traps, where an avalanche could push you into rocks, trees, or gullies. Travel one at a time and stop out of the way of steep slopes where others are traveling.

    All slopes with moist snow at or above 40 degrees should be suspect. It may be easy to trigger them on some slopes and difficult on others. Northerly aspects may be the most reactive, as they've seen the least wetting this week. Use small test slopes and be observant to assess these avalanches on your specific routes.

  • Wind Slabs

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

    At upper elevations, you may still be able to trigger slab avalanches in wind-drifted snow. Watch for cracking and recent drifts to indicate where you can trigger avalanches. Manage the risk by steering around wind-stiffened snow below ridges, drifts, and convex roll-overs where you suspect fresh wind slabs. 

    Westerly wind likely formed slabs on leeward slopes during a storm on the 2nd. While we suspect that it's becoming difficult to trigger wind slab avalanches, we have limited information on conditions at upper elevations. If you travel there, be prepared to make your own assessment.

    (3/26/2026)

    Cross-loaded, wind-textured snow and a partially filled-in crowns of avalanches (D2) that occurred around 3/20. White Pine ck, 6,900ft, N-NE

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

Saturday will be the hottest, sunniest day since the recent snow fell in the past week. However, this won't be the first time the snow gets wet. Intermittent snowfall, warming, and filtered sun have warmed the snow and made it easy to trigger loose wet avalanches on the 27th, the 2nd, and the 3rd. We expect more wet avalanches on Saturday. 

On Friday, skiers intentionally triggered a small (D1) slab avalanche with a cornice fall on a leeward slope of Lichtenberg Mountain. This is the best information that we have regarding current wind slab conditions. On Thursday the 2nd, an NWAC forecaster near Skyline Lake triggered small wet avalanches on steep southeast aspects. By 12p there were minimal new wind-drifted slabs on mid-elevation leeward slopes. Slabs likely continued building throughout the day. In similar terrain on Friday, they could trigger wet avalanches on most aspects.

Since the 29th, light snow fell on a variety of surfaces. Now it mostly rests on crusts, about 2-5" deep on southeast through southwest aspects, and up to 18" deep on northerly aspects. At middle and upper elevations, old surfaces are wind-textured and drifted. On March 25th, Stevens Pass picked up 1-1.5 ft of snow, accompanied by strong westerly winds. This snow can still be found resting on a stout crust, about 1-1.5 feet below the surface. 

Prepare for low snow cover, open creeks, and icy surfaces, which create various travel hazards. 

Regions covered