Stevens Pass

Travel conditions have improved in the past week, while avalanches remain unlikely. For Wednesday, you can expect light wind, colder temperatures, and another couple of inches of snow. Be prepared for open holes near creeks and boulders, and very firm surfaces under thick trees and on steep slopes.

We'll see ongoing cold temperatures and light snow. Stevens Pass will likely pick up another 1-3" of snow on top of the inch that fell on Tuesday. On steep, smooth slopes, check how easily the surface snow slides. Small, loose avalanches may be getting easier to trigger. While these avalanches are predictable and small, they can still push you around and cause long falls. If the sun comes out from the clouds, loose avalanches could be moist on steep, southerly slopes.

On Tuesday, the surface snow was a bit weaker than the day prior, especially on the northerly half of the compass. Despite periods of sun, wet loose avalanches were unlikely. There was a slightly greater chance of triggering dry, point releases, however these were still stubborn, unlikely, and would've been very small.

We have limited information from upper elevations, above 6,000ft. If you travel there, take time to look for weak snow in the top 2-3 feet of the snowpack and adjacent to crusts. We'd love to have your observations!

Sunny, southeast through southwest slopes host numerous recent crusts, including one just beneath the surface. On less sun-exposed slopes, there's 4-8" of soft, dry snow with a layer of weak facets and surface hoar (2/13 interface) in the lower portion, immediately above the uppermost, thin crust (2/8 crust). About 10" below the surface, you'll find a very stout, thick layer of frozen, icy melt forms that resulted from warm temperatures, wet snow, and rain in late January and early February. Upper elevations will likely have a greater separation between crusts, with weak snow between them.

There are no large storms immediately on the horizon. With the passing of each day, all the surface snow is becoming weaker. In the event of some distant storm that delivers a solid foot or more of new snow, it very likely could fall on a widespread weak layer over a crust. 

There are still significant travel hazards out in the mountains, particularly in lower elevations and forested areas. Open creeks, bare ground, and exposed rocks are all things you might have to contend with to get into the more pleasant conditions above about 5500ft.