Avalanche forecast

West Slopes Central

Northwest Avalanche Center
View on map

Avalanche danger

Sat
Alpine
2 · Moderate
Treeline
2 · Moderate
Below
1 · Low
Open full map
Out of date — this forecast expired 3 years ago. You’re viewing past conditions, not the current bulletin.

Highlights

A warm, sunny day in the forecast. Look for signs of instability in the terrain above and skip travel on steep slopes holding wet, manky snow.  Steer around pockets of wind-drifted snow if you make it to alpine terrain, especially on slopes with high consequences like cliffs and rocks in the runout below.

Avalanche problems

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpine
    • Treeline
    • Below treeline
    Likelihood
    Possible
    Size
    1–2

    Sunny skies and mild temperatures are in the forecast for Friday, so wet loose avalanches are again on the list of problems. Wet snow surfaces and clear skies overnight should make for a frozen crust in the morning and low danger. It will likely be a contest between how fast the sun breaks down the crust - and enables another round of avalanches - versus afternoon clouds and increasing winds cool things back down. 

    Sun-exposed, upper-elevation slopes still holding cold snow might become active earlier in the day. Glide avalanches are also possible in rocky terrain. Limit travel on or directly under steep slopes seeing direct sun or where the snow is mushy and wet. Avoid this terrain if you see signs of instability like rollerballs and recent avalanches.

  • Wind Slabs

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

    Strong alpine winds and moderate snowfall produced fresh wind slabs and even some natural avalanches at the highest elevations. They will be more stubborn to trigger on Friday with another day to bond. Track the depth and stiffness of new snow layers as you gain elevation. Visual clues can also help you identify areas with thicker slabs. Hand shears and test slopes can help you gauge slab reactivity.

    (2/22/2024)

    Natural avalanches and wind drifted snow on the northwest side of Colfax Peak/West North above 8000'.

    Photo: Pete Durr

Avalanche Discussion

Observers across West North reported a range of conditions on Thursday. A few inches of wet new snow, rollerballs, and small wet avalanches - both natural and human triggered - were reported from mid-elevations. A crust was already starting to form in the afternoon as temperatures cooled.

Up on the Coleman Glacier, dry and wind-drifted snow was found starting at 7000’. Slope tests produced lots of localized cracking and even some shooting cracks but no avalanches. Natural slab avalanches to D2 - which likely occurred during the heaviest snowfall and strongest winds overnight - were found on steep northerly aspects above 8000’.

A week's worth of mostly above-freezing temperatures seems to have put to bed faceted layers above the Early February Crust and other inter-storm interfaces in the upper snowpack. Faceted grains can still be found but have been observed as rounding and gaining strength in adjacent forecast zones. More importantly, there just haven’t been any slab avalanches that can be linked to these layers. The crust is found 1-3’ down from the surface and is still a great marker for tracking changes in upper snowpack depth. 

Regions covered