West Slopes North
Backcountry Avalanche Forecast
Author: Irene Henninger
Issued: Monday, March 9, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
Expires: Tuesday, March 10, 2026 at 6:30 PM PDT
The Bottom Line
The Bottom LineDepending on wind effect, you might find either surprisingly reactive drifts, or very little newly transported snow. If there is actively blowing snow or you notice heavier, newly wind-drifted layers, steer around deposits that are greater than about six inches over the crust. If there is little wind or you're in sheltered areas, you're likely to trigger loose snow "sluffs" that run easily on steep slopes.
Avalanche Danger
Tuesday, March 10, 2026
7500-5500ft2 - Moderate
5500-4500ft2 - Moderate
4500-2500ft1 - Low
Wednesday, March 11, 2026
7500-5500ft3 - Considerable
5500-4500ft3 - Considerable
4500-2500ft2 - Moderate
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
Subtle signs of wind loading along the more exposed ridges.
Photo: Dallas GlassExtensive wind transport on Sunday quickly moved new snow into stubborn slabs, and we expected wind to continue on Monday, but that didn't materialize, at least in the Heather Meadows area. A shift in wind for Tuesday may result in newly developed wind slabs that could avalanche with a human trigger. Depending on where you are in the zone, conditions may be very different.
Search for heavier-feeling snow beneath you, and look for textured surfaces or thicker, smooth, and rounded pillows of snow. You're most likely to find newly developed slabs around rocky outcroppings and other features, in gullies, and on the leeward side of ridges or subridges. In some areas, only a subtle change in the terrain is enough to build thicker, reactive drifts in one spot, stripping snow from surfaces only a few feet away.
If you encounter bullseye clues like long, shooting cracks, that's a clear warning sign to avoid steep slopes. Steer around steep, wind-drifted slopes where there's more than about six inches sitting over the crust on Tuesday.
Problem #2: Dry Loose
Problem Type
Dry Loose
Aspect/Elevation
Likelihood
Size
Example photo: Loose snow avalanches can easily intitiate on steep slopes on Tuesday.
Non wind-loaded steep slopes are likely to produce "sluffs", or loose dry avalanches, in the low-density snow that exists. Some sluffs may run naturally, but if you enter steep terrain, you're likely to initiate one of these avalanches. This may be your biggest problem on Tuesday, depending on what the wind does.
A loose dry avalanche may remain shallow, only impacting the top few inches of snow. Or in areas where a slide becomes more funnelled, like in a gully, the sluff could gouge deeper, possibly down to the underlying crust. One of these slides may not be enough to bury you, but you wouldn't want to get caught in it, especially in areas where a terrain trap could amplify the consequences of getting caught.
Forecast Discussion
A crust beneath the new snow will be noticeable where the new layer is thin. When snow surfaces were wet, before the crust formed, many steep areas had many loose wet avalanches, resulting in a chunky, bumpy crust. Before temperatures cooled, there were lingering concerns for wet slab avalanches with the several inches of rain that saturated the snow before the surface froze. We no longer suspect that large avalanches will fail naturally on deeper weak layers, although it's not completely out of the question that a large cornice fall could trigger a larger avalanche on a deeper layer.
Observers in the Heather Meadows area found about 4 inches of snow over the crust. Above 5000ft, there was 6-8" of highly wind-affected snow well bonded to the crust from earlier Sunday. No cracking or avalanches were observed in the thicker layers above the crust. An inch or two of snow will fall Monday night, and another few inches on Tuesday. Snow and warmer temperatures are in the forecast for Wednesday, with an uptick in avalanche danger.
There are hidden hazards that could have almost a foot of dry snow further disguising them. Beware of mysterious holes surrounding rocks, hidden trees, and creek holes. These are in abundance even in the mid elevations, given the shallow snowpack that exists this year.
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.