Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - The weather pattern is stable

The upper ridge is giving us a fairly benign weather pattern for the forecast period. MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud alpine temperatures near -10/ generally light winds from the West/ freezing level valley TUESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud/ alpine temperatures near -12/ ridgetop winds light from the West/ freezing level valley bottomWEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud/ alpine temperatures -12/ ridgetop winds light from the northeast/ freezing level valley bottom.

No new avalanches have been reported in the region. Natural avalanche activity is unlikely, but its possible to trigger pockets of wind slab from leeward terrain features. If you have been out, please submit any observations to the Mountain Information Network MIN.

The region received up to 20 cm of snow over the past week. Isolated pockets of stiff wind slab may exist on leeward slopes. Below the surface exists a series of crusts and a feathery surface hoar layer. We have a lot of uncertainty around the weak surface hoar layer and its distribution. I suspect it could exist on sheltered slopes in the alpine and at treeline. A mixed layer of melt-freeze crusts and sugary facets buried late October can be found at the base of the snowpack at treeline and in the alpine. This layer has not been active, but there is potential for slab avalanches on this layer given the current snowpack structure. Terrain features like smooth alpine bowls with variable snowpack depths would be most suspect.Average snowpack depths at treeline are near 50 cm and taper quickly as elevation decreases. Snow depths below tree line are generally below the threshold depth to produce avalanche.