Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Mar 17th, 2021 3:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Loose Wet and Wind Slabs.
mkoppang,
Avalanche Canada
Danger rating are tied closely to aspect and time of day. As temps increase expect the snow to become less stable especially on solar aspects. Danger can swing from moderate to HIGH in the heat of the day so pay close attention to aspect, temp, and quality of freeze overnight.
Summary
Confidence
Weather Forecast
Well a spring pattern is emerging! Thursday will be a warm day with freezing levels near 2400m and daytime highs around 4deg. The sky is forecast to be blue with light winds throughout the day!
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been observed in the past 24hrs.
Snowpack Summary
Melt freeze cycle seems to be the name of the game right now! Melting during the day and becoming less stable and freezing at night. On Wednesday the surface of the snow didnt begin to break down until mid afternoon and winds and temps kept it cool. With these kind of Spring conditions, timing and aspect is everything. The alpine appears to be wind affected except for sheltered north aspects. On non-solar aspects there are still some buried wind slabs in the upper 60 of the snowpack that are worth investigating before committing to bigger terrain. Be alert on the changing snow conditions under your skis. There are plenty of big cornices out there so take the time to plan your trip to avoid them.
Terrain and Travel
- Avoid sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if snow is moist or wet
- Avoid rock outcroppings, convexities, and anywhere the snowpack is thin and/or variable.
- The more the snow feels like a slurpy, the more likely loose wet avalanches will become.
- Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
Problems
Loose Wet
Intense solar radiation at this time of year can quickly elevate avalanche activity on solar aspects. Solar radiation is still a concern on cloudy days, especially without an overnight freeze. Time your exposure to these slopes to avoid the heat of the day.
Aspects: South East, South, South West, West.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Wind Slabs
Wind slabs exist in the upper snowpack that feel drummy in some areas. Take the time to dig down and evaluate the interfaces in each specific terrain feature.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Mar 18th, 2021 3:00PM
