Olympics

The next avalanche forecast will be issued on Thursday, December 22nd at 6 PM.  

-On Saturday, December 16, two hikers climbed Mt Ellinor via the standard winter route and reached the summit. 

-While descending from the summit, the victim slipped and was unable to stop the slide. His friend could not locate the victim and called 911.

-Due to the remote location, severity of the terrain, and likely injuries, a helicopter rescue was needed. 

-Responders located and transported the victim from the scene to further medical care.  

-While initial reports indicated this accident could have included an avalanche, given current information, we can not confirm this to be the case.

2023-2024 Forecast Schedule

NWAC will issue an avalanche forecast every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday and every holiday mid-week day the Hurricane Ridge Road is open from December to early April.  We will issue Avalanche Watches or Warnings when conditions warrant.  We will not update the non-holiday midweek discussion.  Our mountain weather forecasts will continue to cover the Olympics and are issued twice a day through the end of April.  If you have questions or feedback, please contact us at [email protected] and [email protected]. 

If you're out in the snow, share your observations with us and your local backcountry community.