Avalanche forecast

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Avalanche danger

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

More stormy weather is in store with light snow and increasing wind. You can trigger small avalanches in wind-exposed terrain near and above treeline. Consider the slim chance that you could start a dangerous and very large and persistent slab avalanche on a deeply buried crust.

Avalanche problems

  • Wind Slabs

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

    The wind will be the main driving factor of avalanche danger on Saturday. Watch for wind-transported snow and fresh drifts pointing to leeward sides of ridges and terrain features.  You can avoid triggering wind slab avalanches by steering around drifted pillows of snow and staying off of leeward slopes. Other signs of the danger are cracks shooting through the snow and areas of deeper, stiffer snow that you can feel under your feet or with a prob. Check to see how the new snow is bonding to the recently buried crust with quick tests like hand shears, kick turn tests, and small test slopes.

    (2/14/2023)

    Mt McCausland summit with recently formed wind drifts and signs of loading.

    Photo: Public obs

  • Persistent Slabs

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Unlikely
    Size
    2–2.5

    These dangerous avalanches are currently difficult to trigger, though this could change if enough snow falls next week. If you manage to trigger one, it would be surprising and destructive. The best way to stay safe is to stay well away from big start zones that are steep, rocky, unsupported, and with weak trigger points. Default to well-supported terrain features and smaller pieces of terrain. Don't linger for long or take breaks in areas with large, overhead avalanche paths. The last reported persistent slab avalanche occurred on Monday, the 13th. You probably won't get signs of instability with these avalanches. A thin weak layer resting on a slick crust from mid-January can be found about 3 feet below the snow surface. The layer was responsible for natural and triggered avalanches from Feb 8-13th.

    (2/12/2023)

    Very wide crown spanning most of the south face of Jove Peak. This slide very likely occurred during the middle of the day on Sunday.

    Photo: Public Obs

Avalanche Discussion

Stevens Pass received 3-4" of snow on Friday with around a foot of total accumulation in the past week. On Friday observers near Lake Susan Jane and the White Pine drainage found wind effects more significant east of the Cascade crest and as elevation increased. Some fresh drifts, up to 20cm were reported near treeline in the White Pine drainage with minimal drifting at the same elevation near the pass. On Wednesday, observers in Lanham creek reported weak snow on many surfaces including surface hoar.  Notable were large column tests that still indicated the potential for an avalanche to propagate on the MLK crust, 3 feet below the surface.  

The last week brought a widespread cycle of avalanches running on steep, leeward slopes, just below ridges that saw wind loading including Windy Ridge and the Rooster Comb, above Lake Susan Jane. Some of these are suspected to have run on a crust/weak layer about 2.5 feet below the surface. The natural cycle mostly occurred on Feb 8th. A very large avalanche with an impressively wide crown was observed off the S face of Jove Peak on Sunday. It appears this slide ran naturally in the middle of the day with the warming temperatures and sun likely to have played a role in its release. On Saturday, a report came in of a large skier-triggered slab avalanche on a northeast aspect, 5,400ft just north of Lake Josephine. The avalanche ran on the MLK crust, buried in mid-January, almost 3 feet below the surface (see profile image below).

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