Avalanche Forecast

High -

TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, moderate west winds, freezing level below valley bottom.WEDNESDAY: Mostly cloudy, moderate to strong southwest winds, alpine temperature -8 C, freezing level below valley bottom.THURSDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, moderate to strong southwest winds, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level rising to 1500 m.FRIDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 5 to 10 cm, moderate to strong southwest winds, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 1500 m.

Skiers were capable of triggering small (size 1) wind slabs on Tuesday.

Around 20 cm recent storm snow was accompanied by strong winds that blew first from the southwest and then from the northwest. This new snow covers a weak layer of surface hoar (feathery crystals), which was buried on Boxing Day.A persistent weak layer that formed in early December may be found 80 to 120 cm deep. This layer mostly consists of sugary faceted snow with some isolated areas also containing feathery surface hoar crystals. While professionals are still tracking this layer, it has not been reactive for some time now, except for the east side of the region near Corbin.Near the bottom of the snowpack lies a mix of crusts and facets that formed in late October/early November. Triggering an avalanche at the base of the snowpack is unlikely at this time, although the most likely place to do so would be from a steep rocky start zone in an area where the snowpack was shallow.