Avalanche Forecast

Good

The ridge of high pressure begins to weaken on Tuesday and will break down on Wednesday. Light precipitation is expected for Wednesday and Thursday.Tuesday: Mostly sunny, dry conditions, treeline temperatures around -5C, light SW winds at treelineWednesday: Cloudy, snowfall 2-4cm, treeline temperatures around -5C, light NW winds at treelineThursday: Cloudy, snowfall 1-2cm, treeline temperatures around -8C, light N winds at treeline

No new avalanches have been reported since the solar activity on Friday and Saturday.

Snowpack depths vary, but in general there is around 200 to 250cm of snow at tree line and as much as 300 cm on lee slopes in the alpine. In the south and to the east of the region, there are still areas with a relatively thin snowpack. The recent dry, warm weather has generally consolidated the upper snowpack. As temperatures now begin to cool, stability in the upper snowpack should increase further. Keep in mind that 'Low Hazard' does not mean 'No Hazard' and that residual risk of avalanches still exists. Old, stubborn hard wind slabs may still exist in isolated areas. A basal facet/crust combo (weak sugary snow above and below a crust) near the ground is still a concern in some areas, and was the culprit with some of the very large recent avalanches. . The depth of this layer makes triggering an avalanche on it unlikely (maybe a heavy load on a thin spot in steep terrain, rapid temperature change, or cornice fall), but the consequences would be large and very destructive.Large surface hoar is reported to have formed in sheltered areas at all elevations with the exception of open south-facing slopes where the sun has caused melting and formed a sun crust.