Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

Wed
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
1 · Low
Below
1 · Low
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Highlights

You may be able to trigger small avalanches where the southeast wind drifts new snow at upper elevations.  If you find more than 6" of recent snow that slides easily,  you may be in an area of heightened danger. Snow cover is still shallow; watch for hitting shallowly buried rocks and logs.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1

    If you find signs of instability, like cracks shooting through the snow or wind drifts that break easily with a person's weight, stay off leeward slopes steeper than 35 degrees. Look for plumes of blowing snow and visual clues like sharp wind drifts to indicate which slopes have been loaded by the wind. Steer around fresh drifts and thick pillows of snow on steeper slopes. There may be select pieces of terrain with enough recently drifted snow to encounter wind slab avalanches just below ridges at middle elevations. 

    A glancing storm could produce 4-5" of new snow with moderate wind by Tuesday morning. Our confidence in the forecast is low. As you travel in the mountains, verify the forecast by checking the amount of new snow amounts and how easily it slides. If you find more than 6" of snow that slides easily over the most recent crust, you could be in an area of heightened danger. Strong westerly winds formed older wind slabs on Saturday, which should now be difficult to trigger. 

    (12/23/2023)

    Wind affected snow above 6,200ft on Rock Mtn.

    Photo: Matt Primomo

Avalanche Discussion

There's a chance that you may encounter some moist snow, especially on sunny slopes or at low elevations. While we don't anticipate significant wet avalanche hazards, it's worth keeping this in mind. Precipitation may be mixed with freezing rain or sleet at low elevations as the storm winds down in the early morning hours of Tuesday. Expect some sun breaks in the afternoon and the potential for brief warming of sun-exposed slopes. 

On Monday, Stevens Pass picked up roughly 2" of snow and sleet with light to moderate southeast wind. Observers on Jove Peak reported "dust on crust" conditions with about 4" of recent snow over a crust (12/22) and minimal wind transport during the day. On Sunday, observers in the Skyline Lake area reported blowing snow and wind-affected surfaces. On Saturday, observers on Rock Mountain found 6" of new snow above 6,000ft, with fresh wind drifts up to 1 foot deep. They reported a small natural wind slab avalanche and a few small loose dry avalanches. Although travel conditions have improved a bit, coverage is still thin in many places. Beware of hitting exposed rocks, stumps, and creeks.

On most slopes, the most recent crust was buried on December 22nd. On steeper due south slopes and some open terrain, the crust is a stout combination of rain and sun events from the past 1-2 weeks. Elsewhere, the upper snowpack is a series of thin, brittle crusts and weak, faceted layers below the 12/22 interface.

Stevens Pass Ski Area is open. Check uphill policies HERE. You can contribute to the forecast! Let us know what you found by submitting an observation HERE. 

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