Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Thursday

Friday: Light snowfall - light southerly winds - freezing level at 600m Saturday: very light snowfall with a chance of intermittent sun - light and variable winds - freezing level at 300m Sunday: scattered cloud - light westerly winds - freezing level at 200m

A size 3 natural cornice failure was observed in the region on Wednesday. Recent heli bombing in the northern part of the region produced mostly thin soft slab avalanches to size 2 that formed due to recent wind loading. With continued wind and snow throughout Thursday, I expect continued wind slab avalanche activity in the alpine and at treeline.

Sporadic strong and variable winds have redistributed light amounts of recent storm snow into thin wind slabs that most commonly exist at treeline and in the alpine.In the northern part of the region two persistent weak layers are on the radar of some operators: Surface hoar buried at the beginning of March is as much as 70cm deep. The early February persistent weak layers (surface hoar, facets, crusts) are over a metre down. Although triggering persistent weaknesses has become less likely, persistent slabs would be destructive in nature, particularly below treeline on isolated and sheltered steep terrain where buried surface hoar may be preserved. Cornices in the region are reported to be very large and potentially unstable.