Avalanche Forecast

High -

WEDNESDAY NIGHT - Cloudy with clear periods and isolated flurries / northeast winds 10-20 km/h / alpine low temperature near -12THURSDAY - A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries / northwest winds 10-20 km/h / alpine high temperature near -10FRIDAY - Mainly cloudy with flurries, 5-10 cm / southwest winds 15-35 km/h / alpine high temperature near -10SATURDAY - A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries / northwest winds, 10-15 km/h / alpine high temperature near -10

On Tuesday, a notable avalanche report was of a size 3 persistent slab avalanche that occurred on an east aspect between 1800-2100 m. This avalanche was triggered by explosives and it reportedly failed on the persistent weak layer that was buried on February 7th. This layer is discussed further in the Snowpack Summary below.Human triggered avalanches have been reported everyday for over a week. Although most avalanches have been small (size 1-1.5), some have shown impressive propagation. Check some of the recent MIN reports for examples (here and here).

Depending on location, the snow surface consists of a mix of 20-30 cm of low density snow or wind slabs, and sun crust on south facing slopes.  This snow sits on a weak layer of surface hoar (feathery crystals) and a crust that was buried on February 7th. This layer has been reactive, and has produced avalanches as large as size 3. Two other surface hoar layers are buried 50 to 80 cm deep the snowpack (referred to as the February 1st and mid-January layers). Although they have not been reactive recently, they are still being monitored by professionals. These layers are most prevalent below treeline on shady aspects. The lower snowpack is considered generally strong.