Avalanche Forecast

Monday night: Becoming cloudy. Moderate southwest winds increasing into the morning.

Tuesday: Cloudy with increasing snowfall bringing about 25 cm of new snow by end of day, continuing overnight. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -2 as freezing levels rise to about 1200 metres.

Wednesday: Mainly sunny. Light to moderate northwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -4

Thursday: Mainly sunny with cloud increasing over the day. Light variable winds. Alpine high temperatures around -7.

No new avalanches were reported in the region over the last few days. Looking forward, rapid loading of new snow over variable surfaces on Tuesday is expected to bring a swift rise in avalanche danger as snow accumulates and consolidates into storm slabs.

Around 25 cm of new snow is expected to accumulate in the region by end of day on Tuesday. The new snow will likely bury surface hoar in sheltered locations as well as sun crust on southerly aspects. It will likely become increasingly sensitive to natural and human triggering as it accumulates over the day.

Below the current surface, 20 to 30 cm of snow from late last week has likely gained strength over the past couple of days.

Around 100 cm of snow overlies a layer of surface hoar on north-facing aspects near and above treeline. This layer was found to be reactive in some recent snowpack tests. Large avalanches composed of new snow may cause isolated step down avalanche activity at this layer on Tuesday.

The remainder of the snowpack is well-settled. The snowpack depth varies from around 300 to 400 cm around 1200 to 1400 m and tapering rapidly with elevation, with no snow below 700 m.

• Watch for signs of slab formation throughout the day.
• Storm slab size and sensitivity to triggering will likely increase through the day.
• Use conservative route selection. Choose simple, low-angle, well-supported terrain with no overhead hazard.