Long Range Mountains

Avoid steep south-facing slopes, as you could trigger a large avalanche on a buried weak layer.

Wind slabs are still possible in lee terrain features.

Moderate

• We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.
• We are uncertain due to how buried persistent weak layers will react with the forecast weather.

On Friday, many small (size 1) wind slabs were seen in the Blow Me Downs, which were estimated to have occurred within the last 2 days.

A large avalanche occurred on the south aspect of Blue Hill earlier in the week when a rider triggered a slab and was carried by it. Read a report from the field team here.

There is anywhere from 15 to 30 cm of soft snow that fell this week. In wind-exposed areas, it has been redistributed into lee features, forming slabs.

On steep slopes that face the sun, a crust with weak, sugary facets on top has been observed. If triggered, this layer could produce large avalanches.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled, with no layers of concern.

Friday Night
Cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow with local amounts near 10 cm. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds.  Trace snow. 40 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 100 km/h southerly overnight, easing to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature rising to near zero Saturday night, falling to -4 °C Sunday afternoon..

Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. Near 10 cm of snow. 20 to 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to buried weak layers.
• Be careful as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Use small, low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
• Stay off recently wind loaded slopes until they have had a chance to stabilize.