Avalanche Forecast

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Clear, light southwest wind, alpine temperature -12 C, freezing level below valley bottom.

THURSDAY: Sunny, light southwest wind, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level 1000 m.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny, light to moderate southwest wind, alpine temperature -2 C, freezing level 1100 m.

SATURDAY: 3-5 cm snow, light to moderate west wind, alpine temperature -3 C, freezing level 1000 m.

Numerous cornice falls on Tuesday had a variety of results. They mostly only entrained recent storm snow but a few did trigger slab avalanches up to size 2. Several skier triggered slab avalanches up to size 1.5 were reported primarily in wind affected terrain. Over the weekend there were numerous reports of 10-30 cm thick skier-triggered slabs on steep roll overs and wind loaded slopes. The majority of activity on Monday was on south and east facing terrain around treeline elevations. Looking forward, slab avalanches may remain possible to trigger, especially on sun-exposed and wind loaded slopes.

Sunny weather could weaken cornices and the upper snowpack on steep south-facing slopes. 30-60 cm of recent storm snow is gradually settling and gaining strength, but has shown some isolated signs of reactivity on wind loaded slopes and steep convexities in sheltered terrain (where the snow sits above small surface hoar or sun crusts). These interfaces are unlikely to develop into a persistent problem, but for the next few days storm slabs could remain reactive on these isolated terrain features. The lower snowpack is generally well settled and strong.

• Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
• Be careful as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.