Avalanche Forecast

High -

MONDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, moderate northwest winds, freezing level below valley bottom.TUESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, moderate to strong northwest winds, alpine temperature -10 C, freezing level below valley bottom.WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and clouds, moderate to strong west winds, alpine temperature -10 C, freezing level below valley bottom.THURSDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, moderate to strong southwest winds, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level rising to 1500 m.

No new avalanches were observed on Monday. Storm slabs were reactive on Sunday, releasing both naturally and by explosives. They were generally large (size 2) and on northerly aspects with depths around 30 to 50 cm.

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. This layer could be an issue in areas where the wind has blown the snow into drifts. 80 to 130 cm below the surface is an old persistent weak layer that formed in early December. This layer mostly consists of sugary facets with some isolated areas also containing feathery small surface hoar. While professionals are still tracking this layer, it has not been reactive for some time now. 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.