Avalanche forecast

West Slopes North

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Mon
Alpine
4 · High
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

Stormy conditions will continue on Sunday. Natural avalanches are likely in areas that will see the most snowfall, like around Heather Meadows and Baker Lake. Start your day with a conservative mindset in simple terrain.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Very Likely
    Size
    1.5–2.5

    Sunday is forecast to be a near repeat of Saturday,  but with more precipitation and falling snow levels. If we do see drier snow, look for fresh slabs that are widely distributed across the terrain and more sensitive to triggering 

    You will be much more likely to find an unstable slab on wind load slopes, but assess for instability in sheltered terrain as well. Slabs are more sensitive to triggering where they form over surface hoar or weak facets that have survived and are now buried on sheltered and shaded slopes.

    The kind of terrain you can access will depend on what you find when you get into the mountains. Avoid exposure to most avalanche terrain in areas with heavy snowfall and strong winds. Tamer conditions will open the door to more terrain in other locations, but assess stability with small slope cuts and hand pits before moving onto bigger slopes.

    (2/13/2021)

    Slab avalanches in smaller terrain are a red flag it would be wise to stay away from anything bigger.

    Photo: AJ

  • Loose Wet

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

    Rain will creep up in elevation overnight. It's forecast to continue before switching back to snow Sunday afternoon. Rain falling on fresh snow will increase the likelihood of seeing or triggering wet avalanches. Avoid travel on or directly under steep slopes where you see signs of wet avalanche instability like snow shedding from trees, rollerballs, and very small avalanches. 

    (2/9/2023)

    Steep, cliffy terrain like this is commonly where you see the first signs of wet avalanche activity.

    Photo: Zack McGill - Cascade Mountain Ascents

Avalanche Discussion

Weather and avalanche conditions met expectations on Saturday. Multiple folks out in Baker, BC, reported full-on storm conditions with about 6” of damp, wind-drifted snow and consistently strong winds. Weather stations around Baker Lake picked up 1.0” of precipitation, while those farther east recorded only 0.1-0.2”. No observations were submitted from other areas of the forecast zone.

Reported avalanche activity was limited to very small wet loose avalanches and small slabs that tended to be stubborn to trigger. Any snow that did move revealed a few different bed surfaces. The new snow was sliding on crust in many areas. A more sheltered, northerly slope at mid-elevations revealed a poor bond at soft snow at the new-old interface.  This is an indicator that facets or surface hoar might have been preserved and are now a weak layer under the new snow in select locations.

Signs of wind transport were widespread, even in normally sheltered areas. With poor visibility and challenging conditions, most stuck with smaller slopes instead of taking on bigger avalanche terrain. No natural avalanches were reported, but no one could really see into areas that typically produce natural avalanches.

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