West Slopes North
Backcountry Avalanche Forecast
Author: Lee Lazzara
Issued: Wednesday, March 4, 2026 at 6:00 PM PST
Expires: Thursday, March 5, 2026 at 6:00 PM PST
The Bottom Line
The Bottom LineFresh wind slabs will form today as strong west winds drift a few inches of new snow. Avoid steep slopes actively accumulating wind-drifted snow. Lingering deeper weak layers mean avalanches could break wider and run farther than expected.
Avalanche Danger
Thursday, March 5, 2026
7500-5500ft3 - Considerable
5500-4500ft2 - Moderate
4500-2500ft1 - Low
Friday, March 6, 2026
7500-5500ft2 - Moderate
5500-4500ft2 - Moderate
4500-2500ft1 - Low
Avalanche Danger ScaleLearn moreGeneral InfoGeneral Information1 - LowLow2 - ModModerate3 - ConsConsiderable4 - HighHigh5 - ExtrExtreme
1 - Low | 2 - Moderate | 3 - Considerable |  4 - High |  5 - Extreme | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Travel Advice | Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features. | Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern. | Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential. | Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended. | Extraordinarily dangerous avalanche conditions. Avoid all avalanche terrain. |
| Likelihood of Avalanches | Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely. | Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible. | Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely. | Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely. | Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain. |
| Avalanche Size and Distribution | Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain. | Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas. | Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas. | Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas. | Very large avalanches in many areas. |
Avalanche Problems (2)
Problem #1: Wind Slab
Problem Type
Wind Slab
Aspect/Elevation
Likelihood
Size
Visual clues of wind loading along ridgelines. These highs help us anticipate where wind slabs may exist.
Photo: Dallas GlassStrong west winds and 2–6 inches of new snow should build a round of fresh but generally small wind slabs. The distribution of slabs can be erratic with west winds, so don’t assume you’re in the clear if you find calm conditions where you start the day.
Active wind loading could produce a natural avalanche or two at upper elevations. The greatest risk may be that a small wind slab avalanche could trigger a larger slab that releases in deeper, weaker layers. This is a worst-case scenario, but it happens often enough that it should stay in the back of your mind, especially in areas seeing intense wind loading and rapid slab formation.
Problem #2: Persistent Slab
Problem Type
Persistent Slab
Aspect/Elevation
Likelihood
Size
(3/1/2026)
A large, snowmobile-triggered avalanche in the Canyon Creek. This likely occurred on a persistent layer, based on the wide propagation and nearby snowpit data.
Persistent slab avalanches can be large, break wide across terrain features, and be triggered from a distance. With a high-consequence problem like this, it’s best to avoid large, open, steep terrain—especially in drainages and along ridgelines where slabs have been triggered in the past week, such as Excelsior Ridge in Canyon Creek. Other areas that typically see less new snow, like in or near North Cascades NP, or along the Canadian Border, are also suspect.
Give big open slopes plenty of space in these areas and stay well back from cornices—they can fail unexpectedly and trigger large avalanches on the slopes below. A recent observation near Heather Meadows showed a smaller wet avalanche stepping down into older, drier layers, suggesting recent loading may have reawakened this problem in other areas as well.
Forecast Discussion
Warm and wet conditions have been the name of the game the last few days. Heather Meadows picked up nearly 3 inches of precipitation in the last 48 hours, with much of that falling as rain at low elevations and very wet snow at mid elevations. After three days of sunny skies and powder, the wet weather has kept many out of the mountains and limited the number of field observations.
The most notable observation came from avalanche control work on Tuesday, where a smaller wet avalanche triggered a slab that stepped down into a deeper layer. Given the amount of rain and wet snow in the Baker Backcountry and surrounding areas, expect to see a fair bit of wet avalanche debris in the coming days as temperatures cool and a bit of dry new snow lures folks back into the mountains.
This information is provided by the U.S.D.A. Forest Service and describes general backcountry avalanche hazard and conditions.
It does not apply to ski areas and highways where avalanche mitigation is conducted.