Snoqualmie Pass

Friday was an active day at Snoqualmie Pass. Multiple human-triggered wind slabs occurred in the morning hours before the clouds started to break up, and wet avalanches became the primary problem in the afternoon. Those roles will reverse on Saturday with lingering wind slabs possible at upper elevations and more wet loose on the docket. You should anticipate dodging natural wet slides as rocks heat up and shed their snow. And if you find yourself on a steep, sun-exposed slope, you'll likely be able to push a wet avalanche of your own. Be cognizant of terrain above you and whether people might be traveling below you. 

Most reported slab avalanches in the zone are suspected to have failed near the 4/1 interface. NWAC forecasters found this subtle layer about a foot below the surface in partially wind-loaded terrain on the North Slope of Chair Peak on Friday. They also observed numerous natural wind slab avalanches, likely from Thursday. Deeper in the snowpack, you'll encounter the 3/25 crust. This stout interface can be considered our new ground for the time being, and we expect all avalanche activity to occur above it. A skier-triggered avalanche in the Slot Couloir reportedly failed just above this interface on Friday, while NWAC forecasters found a second crust an inch above it on Chair Peak (the 3/29 interface). 

Unfortunately, there still isn't much snow at lower elevations, despite this week's storm. You will likely see wet avalanche activity in the lower elevation band, but the majority of it won't be large enough to reach the threshold to be called consequential avalanches. Instead, you'll need to continue to manage holes, creeks, bare ground, or shallowly buried hazards as you make your way into the mountains. These hazards will become more pronounced throughout our weekend of hot weather.