Avalanche Forecast

Another nice day is expected for Sunday with mostly sunny skies and a high between -5 and -1. Winds will be strong from the NW and no precipitation is expected. Freezing levels are forecasted to be near 1700m, but steeper solar aspects will feel the punch of the sun.

Minor pin-wheeling on steep solar aspects at lower elevations on Saturday afternoon. No new avalanche activity observed or reported.

Moist snow on some solar aspects (that will be frozen into a crust Sunday morning), but this was limited somewhat by wind and occasional clouds on Saturday. Widespread wind effect and wind slabs in the alpine and open areas at treeline. In sheltered locations up to 15cm of lower density snow overlies previous surfaces, which gives acceptable skiing. The Dec crust layer down 100 to 140cm is faceting and produces moderate to hard shears. Forecasters continue to keep a close eye on this persistent weak layer, despite a long spell of no activity associated with it. If/when it re-awakens, large avalanches are possible.

• Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
• Be aware that wet activity at low elevations is a classic situation for step-down failures in deeply buried persistent weak layers.
• Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of a persistent slab.
• Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.