Avalanche Forecast
Regions: East Island, North Island, South Island, Vancouver Island, West Island.
Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and exposure to sun and wind.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported.
If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.
Snowpack Summary
Previous strong winds likely built wind slabs on leeward slopes near ridgetops. These slabs should bond quickly with the warming trend.
High freezing levels and some sun on Sunday may melt the surface snow on sunny aspects and create a new sun crust by the end of the day.
Up to 30 cm of snow at upper elevations may be covering surface hoar on sheltered features and a sun crust on steep south facing terrain.
We are not tracking any concerning weak layers in the mid or lower snowpack at this time.
Snow depths vary across the region. Currently near Mt.Washington, 135 cm is reported at 1100 m, and 250 cm at 1500 m.
Weather Summary
Saturday Night
Cloudy with light rain or 0 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud. 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 4 °C. Freezing level rising to 2700 m.
Monday
Mostly sunny. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 8 °C. Freezing level 3000 m.
Tuesday
Mostly sunny. 25 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 7 °C Freezing level 2800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and sun exposure.
- Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
- Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Strong southwesterly winds likely built wind slabs on leeward north and east facing slopes near ridgetops. These should bond quickly with the warming trend, but still warrant investigating before entering committing terrain.
Aspects: North, North East, East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 1.5
Loose Wet
Consider backing off slopes if the snow surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures and you notice sings like pinwheeling.
Aspects: South, South West, West.
Elevations: All elevations.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2