Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

A ridge of high pressure should bring mostly sunny conditions for Christmas day. Temperatures at treeline should be around -15C and alpine winds are expected to increase to moderate from the NW in the afternoon. A mix of sun and cloud is expected for Saturday with moderate NW winds and treeline temperatures around -10C. A weak storm system is expected for Sunday but models are currently showing only a couple centimeters.

On Wednesday, two natural size 2.5 glide crack releases were reported but no details were attached. Minor sluffing from steep terrain was also reported in the region.

At higher elevations, 30-50cm of low-density snow typically overlies old stubborn wind slabs which formed last weekend. The reports we have received suggest a good bond within the storm layers in the upper snowpack. Between 80 and 130cm below the surface you'll likely find a weak layer surface hoar which was buried in early December. This layer is most widespread at lower elevations (between 1400m and 1800m.) Field reports indicate triggering this layer has become unlikely. That said, if it does fail the overlying slab is stiff enough to propagate over a wide distance. Below this layer, the snowpack is thought to be generally strong and well-settled.