Bulletin d’avalanche

Stevens Pass

Northwest Avalanche Center
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Danger d’avalanche

Sun
Alpin
2 · Modéré
Limite forestière
2 · Modéré
Sous la limite
2 · Modéré
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Périmé — ce bulletin a expiré 8 months ago. Vous consultez des conditions passées, pas le bulletin en cours.

Points saillants

You may still be able to trigger large avalanches in wind-loaded terrain where westerly winds have built cornices and stiff slabs. Stay off of steep, unsupported slopes where you see recent avalanches, wind-sculpted features, or thickly drifted pillows of snow. If the sun warms south-facing aspects, watch for triggering wet avalanches.

Problèmes avalancheux

  • Wind Slabs

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Possible
    Taille
    1.5–2.5

    Given the recent wind, it's best to stay off unsupported wind-loaded slopes 35 degrees or steeper. Steer around convex roll-overs. Be aware of overhung cornices. Don't walk onto them or linger below them. 

    While it's now harder to trigger these avalanches, the consequences could still be severe. Many of these avalanches have been large, and some at upper elevations have been very large. They could break into old snow layers, including the January 3rd crust, resulting in a 3-5-foot deep avalanche. Now that the westerly wind has subsided, look for recent avalanches, cornices, or deeply pillowed slabs to indicate the danger.

    (1/9/2026)

    A cornice-fall triggered slab avalanche likely occurred between late Jan 8-9th. Big Chief Mtn, SE, 5,650ft SS-NC-D2-S

    Photo: WSDOT

  • Loose Wet

    • Alpin
    • Limite forestière
    • Sous la limite forestière
    Probabilité
    Possible
    Taille
    1–1.5

    On the 8th, both wet avalaches, up to D1.5 ocurred naturally as the sun warmed southerly slopes. If you see crusts melting and the snow becoming moist, expect that it could again trigger these avalanches. Steer around steep, convex features and unsupported slopes. Use test slopes and quick snowpack tests to assess the snow before traveling into avalanche terrain. 

    (1/9/2026)

    Natural loose wet avalanche on Lichtenberg Mtn. SE, 5,000ftWL-N-D1.5-S

    Photo: Josh Hirshberg

Avalanche Discussion

NWAC is aware of an avalanche involvement in the East Central Zone, Teanaway River/Longs Pass area. Information is currently limited. We are working with local authorities and Search and Rescue personnel. We will update once more information is available.

A storm from January 6-8th totaled near 30" of snow and has settled to about 2' of snow on the ground. In addition to avalanches, deep snow can be dangerous, even fatal, on its own. Travel within sight of your partners, and be ready to dig them out if they fall head-first into the snow or tree wells.

On Friday, the sun warmed snow surfaces, triggering wet avalanches on southerly aspects. The most recent wind slab avalanches likely occurred Thursday night when strong westerly winds transported snow. On Wednesday, observers reported large to very large natural and triggered avalanches on both wind-sheltered and leeward slopes. On the 7th, a rider was partially buried in an avalanche in Moonlight Basin but uninjured. 

You can find the January 3rd melt-freeze crust about 3-3.5 feet below the surface. While the overlying snow had generally been well-bonded to the crust, avalanche observations indicate otherwise. While information isn't conclusive, the rapid and severe loading of the crust has produced a couple of deeper avalanches. Besides a couple of distant photos, we don't have many details about the upper elevation snowpack. There's no doubt that wind slabs will be very deep, and cornices could be large and easy to trigger. 

There are a few other crusts in the snowpack that serve as good markers. About  1 foot below the January 3rd crust is a thin December 24th crust, which can be found up to 5500ft. A stout crust from December 18th, should now be near the lower third of the snowpack. 

Régions couvertes