West Slopes Central

Expect firm, variable surfaces and colder temperatures. Limit time beneath steep, rocky slopes where blocks of snow or glide cracks hang overhead. Use extra caution in areas where you observe recent glide avalanche activity.

The likelihood of fresh wet avalanche activity continues to drop as temperatures fall and cloud cover increases. That said, isolated pockets of unstable snow remain—most notably glide slabs, where the entire snowpack is slipping on the ground, and also blocks of snow clinging to cliffs and rocky terrain. Glide avalanches can also still release during colder periods following a prolonged warm stretch. Identify these overhead hazards and limit your exposure to them regardless of temperature or sun. Be on the lookout for glide cracks, sections of lumpy, wrinkled-looking snow below cliffs, and anything else that looks sketchy and poorly attached to the mountain.

Most forecast zones adjacent to West Central have seen little avalanche activity over the past week, with only isolated wet loose and glide avalanches reported, while other areas saw sporadic activity persist until a few days ago. The bigger risk to backcountry travel is likely surface conditions. Slick crusts, bumpy runnels, and other nastiness will stick around until we get more snow. Low danger does not mean no danger. General mountain hazards—snow shedding from cliffs, rockfall, cornice fall, and slide-for-life surfaces—should never be written off.

A corn-seeking observer in Stevens Pass found about a few inches of sun-softened snow on southerly aspects. Soft snow didn't last for long as it refroze immediately once it slipped back into the shade. Easterly flow was sending an impressive wave of cloud through the Pass for much of the day. Perhaps the most notable observation was that the very surface of the crust is beginning to facet on shady slopes. Not exactly a dangerous snowpack factor, but something to keep an eye on with more high pressure in the week ahead.