Avalanche Forecast

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern; little change is expected for several days.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy with clear periods and isolated flurries, trace new snow, light southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -11 C.

MONDAY: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries, trace to 2 cm new snow, light and variable wind, treeline temperatures around -8 C.

TUESDAY: Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries, trace to 2 cm new snow, light south wind, treeline temperatures around -10 C.

WEDNESDAY: A mix of sun and clouds with scattered flurries, trace to 5 cm new snow, light to moderate south wind, treeline temperatures around -7 C.

No recent avalanches have been observed aside from loose dry avalanches (sluffs) in steep alpine terrain. Isolated thin wind slabs may be developing immediate lee of ridge crests from recent light snow and southerly/westerly winds.

Recent light snow (2-5 cm) has buried surface hoar and other old surfaces. Alpine and upper treeline terrain remains heavily wind affected with scouring, sastrugi, isolated pockets of soft snow and layers of hard wind slabs. A hard crust is found below 1900 m. Continued cold temps promotes near-surface faceting that slowly soften hard surfaces, promotes facets at the crust interface and weakens the bonds of cornices.  

A solid mid-pack sits above a deeply buried crust and facet layers near the bottom of the snowpack (150-200 cm deep). These deeper weaknesses are currently unreactive, but have periodically produced large avalanches in alpine terrain during intense storms.

• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
• Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
• Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.