Avalanche Forecast

Thursday night: Cloudy with scattered flurries, 5-15 cm. Southwest winds, 40-65 km/hr. Alpine temperature low -6 C. Freezing level 1500 m.

Friday: Cloudy with flurries, trace to 10 cm. Southwest winds, 30-45 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -2 C. Freezing level 1500 m, dropping overnight.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks and afternoon flurries. Southwest winds, 20-40 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -1 C. Freezing level rising above 1500 m by end of day.

Sunday: Cloudy with wet flurries, 10-20 cm. Southwest winds, 30-50 gusting to 90 km/hr. Alpine temperature high 3C. Freezing level rising above 2000 m.

No recent avalanche observations. Note we have very few field observations this early in the season. 

Strong wind will quickly impact any new or loose snow. Expect to find anything from bare rock to dense wind slab along ridgelines and in open terrain.

Two crusts are found in the snowpack: the mid-November rain crust buried 20-30 cm and reported up to 2100 m, and a crust from early November found at the bottom of the snowpack up to 2300 m, this crust is being to break down and facet.

Snowpack depths range from 40-100 cm at treeline elevations. Higher elevations may hold a deeper snowpack, but also be more heavily impacted from recent winds. Snowpack depths decrease rapidly below 2000 m.

Early season hazards are very real right now, be wary of thin/shallow snowpacks, rocks, stumps, creeks, and other sharks hidden under fresh snow.

• Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
• Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Dial back your terrain choices if you are seeing more than 20 cm of new snow.