Avalanche Forecast

We didn't receive any reports of avalanche activity on Thursday. Wind slab avalanches were observed on steep north and east-facing alpine slopes on Wednesday in the Hankin area. Riders could trigger similar avalanches going forward until they have enough time to bond to the snowpack.

A breakable melt-freeze crust is found on the snow surface everywhere except for due north aspects. Around 20 cm of recent snow and southwest wind may have formed wind slabs in lee terrain features in the alpine. These slabs may need a few days to bond to the snowpack.

A weak layer of faceted grains and/or surface hoar crystals may be found around 40 to 60 cm deep, particularly on northerly alpine slopes. The weak layer may be close to a hard melt-freeze crust from early April.

A few weak layers deeper in the snowpack in northerly alpine terrain are gaining strength. It remains unlikely to trigger them, but a large load such as a cornice fall could.

Friday Night

Cloudy with 1 cm of snow. 30 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 3 cm of snow in the north of the region. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 1 to 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Monday

Cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
• Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.