Avalanche Forecast

Large persistent slab activity has tapered since the natural cycle on the weekend. A few naturals size 2 to 3 were reported on Monday, mostly at alpine elevations. On Tuesday, several natural cornice failures did not trigger slabs on slopes below.

Small loose wet avalanches occurred on low elevation or steep south facing slopes in the heat of the day on Monday and Tuesday.

Snow at upper elevations has been wind affected. Cornices are large and fragile. South-facing slopes and low elevations hold a surface crust.

A layer of facets, surface hoar and/or a crust from mid February are buried 50–100 cm deep. This layer has produced large natural and human-triggered avalanches this week.

Deeper in the snowpack, a weak facet/crust layer from early December can be found over 1 m deep. This layer appears to be dormant for now but we're keeping it on the radar as an isolated concern which may reactivate in the spring.

Wednesday night

Partly cloudy. 20 to 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 700 m.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with flurries starting late in the afternoon. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures -2 °C. Freezing level 1100 m.

Friday

Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow above 1000 m, rain below. 80 to 100 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures 0 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Saturday

Mostly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow above 800 m, light rain below. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperatures -1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Keep in mind that human triggering may persist as natural avalanches taper off.
• Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
• Use careful route-finding and stick to moderate angled slopes with low consequences.