Avalanche Forecast

Good

Friday: Expect clouds to build with flurries developing in the afternoon. 5-10cm are possible, focussed on west facing terrain. Winds should turn westerly and increase to moderate/strong values with alpine temperatures reaching -5.Saturday & Sunday: A ridge will build giving mostly clear skies, light west/southwest winds and alpine temperatures reaching -2 in the afternoons.

The region saw a natural avalanche cycle. Natural slabs and cornice falls up to size 3.0 were reported, predominantly on north-northeasterly terrain. Many loose wet avalanches up to size 2.0 have occurred below treeline, where the recent precipitation fell as rain. Both explosive and rider controlled avalanches were observed up to size 2.5, predominantly in wind loaded areas. Some areas reported reverse loading from changing wind directions and have seen windslab failures in southeast facing terrain features.

Recent weather has been relatively benign, with precipitation pulses giving incremental loading (5-10cm at a time). Relatively light winds have accompanied these snowfall pulses with some stronger outflow winds closer to the coast.Previous strong southwest winds gave intense snow transport and cornice growth. Extensive windslabbing in lee zones and behind ridges in the alpine and treeline was the result. Some areas saw swirling winds resulting in some cross and reverse loading on southeasterly features. These significant windslabs are now lightly buried.In the upper snowpack, a melt-freeze crust buried on Jan. 17 remains a concern. Recent compression tests show both resistent and sudden planar results and an extended column test shows a continued propensity for propagation if the layer was triggered. The Jan. 17th crust is down 60-100cm. It is certainly worth keeping this layer on your radar in regards to distribution and reactivity for the short term. The mid and lower snowpack is generally well settled.At lower elevations (below 700m), the drizzly rain is saturating and eroding the snowpack.