Avalanche Forecast

On Saturday, the forecast team witnessed some natural avalanche activity near Tent ridge in the size 2-2.5 range. On Sunday, more evidence of a wider cycle near Mt. Murray area was observed and appeared to be 24-36 hrs old. Some more natural activity could be expected and ski triggering is still likely.

The wind continued to blow on Sunday moving the snow around. Presently, there are widespread wind slabs everywhere and on all aspects in the alpine, at tree line and open areas in the trees. This is due to last week's storm that left us with 30-50cm of snow with strong winds from all directions. The avalanche activity from these wind slabs might have slowed downed but still cannot be trusted because they are either sitting on an older pencil wind crust or on top of facets depending where you are. The alpine is still variable in terms of depth of snow. The November facets make up the bottom 50-70cm of the snowpack and there is anywhere from 40-110cm sitting on top of it. Our biggest concern is triggering the wind slab which then has a high potential to produce large avalanches bringing the whole snowpack with it. Good skiing can still be found in low avalanche hazard areas that are either in the trees or were sheltered from the wind. Travel in the forest is still challenging as you are at times still punching through the facets to ground.

2-4cm of snow is expected Sunday night. Monday will be a mix of sun and cloud with flurries starting in the late evening. Temperatures will be between -20c and -12c. Winds on Monday are expected to be 25-30km/hr form the SW.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.