Stevens Pass Mountain Resort and Adjacent Backcountry
Quick report
We are still tracking our weak snowpack and how it's changing with wind, sun, and warming. Blowing snow and stiff wind drifted surfaces were widespread. As the day warmed up, snow became wet and heavy on southern aspects. It didn't quite reach the point where we could push wet avalanches, but it got close.
The winds have really done some damage to our snowpack stability. Previously buried weak layers now have overlaying stiff slabs. Snowpack tests routinely fail, sometimes very easily, on buried surface or faceted snow below the recent storm snow. The weak snowpack and poor snowpack test results are keeping us tiptoeing around on lower-angle terrain.
Weather
- Wind Loading
- moderate
- Snow Avail For Transport
- small smounts
It was quite the blustery day, with strong ridgeline winds and plenty of blowing snow. Despite the sunbreaks and mild temperatures, the winds made most of the day feel quite chilly. The exception was in the late afternoon in sheltered and sunny areas, where temperatures felt more like late March than February.
Snowpack
Snow Surface Summary
Surface conditions are pretty variable thanks to the strong winds. We found stiff, wind-textured snow in most exposed areas and even some drifting within treed areas, particularly on westerly aspects. There was some soft snow left on sheltered easterly aspects in open terrain. These southern and eastern aspects warmed up with mild temperatures and occasional sun breaks, and by the end of the day, surfaces were moist. Most forested areas still have thin coverage with just 10-15cm of snow over icy, uneven crusts.
Snow Surface Summary
Overall snowpack structure is poor. 30-40cm of recent snow, now heavily wind-affected in many areas, rests over layers of weak faceted snow and surface hoar. This weak layer often presents as a facet-surface hoar-facet sandwich just above the 2/8 crust. Snowpack tests failed easily on different layers within this weak snow complex. Below the 2/8 crust is another thin weak layer of faceted grains over the 2/7 crust. This lower crust (2/7) is thick refrozen melt-forms, and we have minimal concerns below.
Snow Profiles
5650ft, E Aspect, sheltered terrain
Height of snow (HS): 255cm
↓30cm : 2/18 faceted grains
↓36cm : 2/13 surface hoar; CTH (22) SC, ECTN22, PST 38/100 END
↓37cm : 2/13 faceted grains
↓42cm : 2/8 melt-freeze crust
↓43cm : faceted grains
↓46cm : 2/7 melt-freeze crust
5350ft, NW Aspect, Wind-affected terrain
Height of snow (HS): 163cm
↓37cm : 2/18 faceted grains; ECTP6, CTH (23) RP
↓44cm : 2/13 Surface hoar
↓49cm : 2/8 melt-freeze crust
↓51cm : faceted grains; CTE6
↓58cm : 2/7 melt-freeze crust