Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

TONIGHT: Clearing, flurries. Accumulation trace. Ridge wind moderate, southwest. Alpine temperature near -8. Freezing level lowering to valley bottom.SUNDAY: Increasing cloud in afternoon. Ridge light, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1500 m.MONDAY: Increasing cloud in afternoon. Ridge wind moderate, southwest. Alpine temperature near -5. Freezing level 1500 m.TUESDAY: Cloudy, flurries. Accumulation 2-10 cm. Ridge wind moderate southwest. Alpine temperature near -1. Freezing level 1900 m.

Saturday we received a report of a size 2 remotely (from a distance) skier triggered storm slab release that failed 50 cm deep on the mid-March surface hoar layer on a steep gully feature.On Friday there were reports of natural (size 1.5-2) storm slab releases on north and west aspects in the alpine that were suspected to have failed overnight during the storm, as well as size 1 skier triggered storm snow releases in steep, leeward terrain.Reports from Thursday included activity in the recent storm snow including sloughing and small (size 1) storm slab releases from 10 - 20 cm thick above the most recent crust.Prior to Thursday storm there were no significant avalanche observations to report from earlier in the week.

Around 30 - 50 cm of new snow has fallen with moderate to strong southeast to southwest wind. This snow sits on a mixture of weak grains including a slippery crust that is present at all elevations on solar aspects and all aspects below 1900 m elevation. On northerly aspects at and above treeline the new storm snow is burying a mix of large surface hoar and surface facets.Two other weak layers are present in the upper snowpack. The mid March interface is down 20 to 40 cm and it resembles the old surface; crust on solar, surface hoar on high elevation north.The early March interface is 40 to 60 cm below the surface and is similar in composition to those listed above.A few other persistent weak layers are buried in the mid and lower snowpack, but they have gone dormant and are unlikely to resurface until we move into a period with consecutive above-freezing nights later in the spring.