Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Fri
Alpine
3 · Considerable
Treeline
3 · Considerable
Below
2 · Moderate
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Highlights

During Thursday's dangerous conditions, you can easily trigger avalanches in wind-exposed terrain, and some slides could be very large and destructive. Watch for "red flag" signs of danger like recent avalanches, cracks shooting through the snow, and whumphing collapses. Stay off of and out from under large, open slopes steeper than 35 degrees, especially where winds have drifted deep slabs of snow.

Avalanche problems

  • Storm Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Likely
    Size
    2–3

    Only travel in the backcountry if you're confident in your ability to carefully assess the snowpack and choose conservative terrain options. Avoid large, open, and steep slopes, especially where the wind has formed thick drifts of snow. Make sure to stay out from under start zones and places where avalanches could come down from above. 

    A smaller but blustery storm will maintain dangerous conditions. Avalanches will be easier to trigger on leeward and cross-loaded slopes at mid and upper elevations. In these areas, they could be very large and destructive. The most dangerous locations will be these steep, leeward slopes near ridgetops on cross-loaded features. You may be able to trigger avalanches in the recent storm snow, even in wind-sheltered terrain at lower elevations. Use quick tests to check how easily the recent storm snow slides. If you see classic "red flag" signs of instability like collapsing, cracking, or recent avalanches, stick to low-angle terrain. All the recent snow could be testing deeper weak layers and crusts that were buried in late December.

    (1/10/2024)

    Stevens Pass patrol triggered a hard slab avalanche with explosives on a heavily wind-loaded slope.  Stevens Pass Resort, NE, 5,000ft. D2.5, 190cm deep

    Photo: Stevens Patrol

Avalanche Discussion

Stevens Pass picked up 3 feet of snow since the 8th, with another 4-6" possible on Thursday. So far, visibility has been poor, and we don't know the full extent of recent avalanches. Just from what we know, conditions have been very active. Widespread natural avalanches occurred the night of the 8th. On the 9th and 10th, Stevens Pass Patrol and WSDOT reported many avalanches triggered by ski cuts and explosives. Most were size D1.5 or smaller, running within the recent storm snow. A few explosive-triggered slides were deeper and ran in layers of older snow (Dec 30th crust). On the 10th, Ski patrol triggered a notably deep (190cm or 6 feet!) size D2.5 wind slab avalanche in heavily wind-loaded terrain. On the 6th, a skier was carried in an avalanche on Valhalla Peak that also ran on the December 30th crust. 

All of the recent snow could be stressing older weak layers, especially in the eastern part of the zone. To our east, the East Central zone is more plagued by persistent slab avalanches. On the 10th, a skier remotely triggered a persistent slab avalanche on Dirty Face Mountain, just over the border. In the Stevens Pass zone, the thin December 30th crust is now over 3-4 feet below the surface. More defined weak layers near the more stout Solstice crust complex are another 2 feet below that. While these layers are quickly getting deeper and harder for the weight of a backcountry traveler to impact, it's worth keeping them in mind. Snow profiles below show some of these deeper crusts and weak layers.

As snow totals add up, deep snow immersion is becoming a real concern- beware of falling into tree-wells and open creeks!

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