Stevens Pass

While conditions are generally safe, you could encounter small roller balls or loose avalanches running on steep slopes. Consider the consequences of even very small avalanches when traveling in extremely steep terrain. Light snow on Wednesday will increase overnight as winds become westerly.

Stevens Pass could pick up 1-2" of warm snow on Wednesday with another 6-8" by Thursday. For Wednesday, this won't significantly increase the danger. You may see some small rollerballs and moist surfaces. Expect a sharp increase in avalanche danger on Wednesday night with more consistent snowfall and westerly wind.

On Tuesday, an NWAC forecaster found a variety of conditions. On steep, northerly slopes, there was about 1 foot of soft snow over the stout, 3/25 crust. Some weak, faceted grains could be seen on and just below the surface. Many other slopes had crusts either on the surface or just below it. 

Check the bond at the interface between the new and old snow. The new snow will fall on a variety of surfaces. On northerly aspects, weak, faceted layers and recent storm snow could be buried, especially above 5,000ft. The new snow will fall on slick crusts on sun-exposed slopes. At middle and upper elevations, 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 foot below the surface. 

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