Avalanche Forecast
Issued: Apr 11th, 2021 4:00PM
The alpine rating is , the treeline rating is , and the below treeline rating is Known problems include Wind Slabs and Persistent Slabs.
Conrad Janzen,
Excellent April ski conditions continue! Still a few things to watch for in the snowpack since cooler temperatures have limited the transition to a true spring snowpack at higher elevations. Keep watching for anomalies and enjoy the great week ahead.
Summary
Weather Forecast
Light easterly winds will develop Monday with mainly cloudy skies, a few flurries and continued cool temperatures through the day. Only a couple cm's of new snow is expected. Treeline temperatures should stay around -5 to -8 C. A clearing trend is expected to start on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
15 to 30 cm of storm snow at treeline with more at higher elevations. Buried crusts up to 1800m on all aspects and to ridge crest on solar aspects. Small wind slabs in alpine lee areas. Several persistent layers exist in the mid to lower snowpack that can be a concern in thin areas, with significant warming or with larger triggers like cornices.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed on Sunday. Evidence of previous loose dry avalanches in steep alpine terrain with a few cornice failures occasionally pulling slabs in steep alpine features during the recent storm. A couple avalanches were also observed in the past few days with storm snow on a crust so this is worth monitoring.
Confidence
Due to the number and quality of field observations
Problems
Wind Slabs
Up to 40 cm of recent snow with previous moderate to strong winds have formed wind slabs in the alpine that may now be covered with soft snow. They seem to be bonding to the previous surfaces but are worth watching for in steep alpine lee areas.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially in steep confined alpine terrain.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Persistent Slabs
Its been a few days since slides on the deeper weak layers were observed, but they left an impression on us. High alpine thin snowpack areas or places where a large cornice might have enough punch to trigger the deeper layers are the main concern.
- Pockets of persistent slabs linger on alpine lee features.
- Pay attention to overhead hazards like cornices which could trigger persistent slabs.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood
Expected Size
Valid until: Apr 12th, 2021 4:00PM
