Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Tue
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 8 months ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

Cooler temperatures and a few inches of snow are unlikely to significantly increase the chance of triggering an avalanche. But at upper elevations, you could still find pockets of wind-drifted snow where you could trigger an avalanche. You can avoid this risk by steering around deep, pillow-like drifts on steep slopes below ridgelines.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Cornice formations can point to likely wind-loaded slopes below, and long shooting cracks indicate that wind slabs are unstable. Upper elevations, particularly near steep rocky features near and below ridgelines, are the most likely places to trigger a wind slab. Small test slopes with drifts can help you gauge the reactivity of these wind slabs before committing to more consequential terrain. If test slopes crack and slide easily, you could probably trigger a wind slab avalanche on a large, steep slope. You can travel on windward slopes or lower-angle terrain to reduce your risk. We expect wind slabs to involve only the recent snow, limiting avalanche size. However, we have limited information from the upper elevations, so there is considerable uncertainty in recent snow depths above 5500ft. If you find stiff, drifted snow deeper than 8-10", expect that avalanches could be large enough to bury you. 

    (3/20/2022)

    Steep, rocky, lee slopes, like in this photo, are prime locations for wind slabs. 

    Photo: Ryan Minton

Avalanche Discussion

Monday will bring decreasing temperatures and another round of snow with light accumulations. Winds may drift the new snow around, and a period of heavier precipitation is possible in the early morning hours if a convergence band takes aim at Stevens Pass. We don't anticipate this will be enough to increase avalanche danger at mid- and lower elevations, but a rogue mini wind slab wouldn't be out of the question at these elevations.

There is a slight chance of sunshine, particularly for the eastern portion of the zone. Any sun breaks probably won't be long enough to produce significant wet loose avalanches. But something to keep in mind, and if you find cold snow warming up and getting wet on steep sunny slopes, move to lower angle or shady areas. 

At upper elevations, there could be some preserved weak surfaces that will be buried. These would probably exist at the very upper extent of our forecast, but check the bond with the old snow surface or dig down to identify any weak snow. If you find hard over soft layering or easy shears in hand pits, back off steep terrain objectives. 

There are a few notable crusts in the snowpack, aside from the current surface crust formed over the past few days. The December 24th crust is buried about 1' deep and can be found up to around 5500ft in elevation. A thicker crust from December 18th is 2-3' deep, and we expect it exists at most elevations, although we don't have information to confirm it extends past 6000ft. These crusts haven't shown any signs of instability, but they are useful markers for tracking the snowpack.

Regions covered