West Slopes Central

Very firm, refrozen snow surfaces will be the main challenge for backcountry travel. Some softening is possible on sunny slopes during the middle of the day. Come prepared for hard snow travel, and stay alert for general mountain hazards such as cornice fall, glide cracks, and snow or rock shedding from cliffs.

Avalanche danger is about as low as it gets, with few factors in place to increase it. That said, there are still plenty of ways to get hurt. Snow surfaces are slick, and uncontrolled sliding incidents have been reported in the Cascades over the past week. It’s advisable to pack ski and/or boot crampons and some sort of self-arrest tool if venturing into steeper terrain.

Localized warming could still trigger small amounts of snow shedding from sunny cliffs, and there remains a low chance of a slab avalanche in areas with glide cracks or recent glide activity. Identify overhead hazards and assess your exposure regardless of temperature or sun. Watch for glide cracks, lumpy or wrinkled-looking snow below cliffs, sagging cornices, and anything else that appears poorly attached to the mountain.

Observers in adjacent forecast zones reported no new avalanches on Saturday despite a slight rise in temperature. Southerly aspects warmed enough by midday to offer softer snow compared to the previous day, when cool northeast winds kept surfaces frozen in many areas. Surface faceting has been observed on shady slopes, though conditions have generally been too dry for significant surface hoar formation except in moist terrain such as gullies or areas near open water. Overall, expect similar snowpack, weather, and avalanche conditions going into the week ahead.