Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

Numerous loose dry avalanches today out of very steep, rocky terrain. Most were modest size 2's and didn't travel very far.

More notably, a couple of wind slab avalanches were seen today. Again. east aspects and on slopes below major cliffs. Wide propagations were noted with sizes up to 2.

We keep skipping around the region trying to get a handle on the distribution and character of our new and improved snowpack. Today took us to the lower Tent Ridge area. Similar to the east side of the road, snow depths are less than other areas. Only 55cm of total snow at 2200m with a crust down 23cm. Hard to extrapolate a ton of info out of this site, but what seems to be the common thread among all areas is the buried crust down 22-55cm. So far the bond is doing well with no sign of weakness yet. This will certainly be the layer to watch. In particular the upper extent of it. Where the crust disappears will become critical information in the next while. Wind slabs above this elevation will be touchier and easier to trigger.

As we were leaving the field at 1pm, the winds were just starting to pick up and undoubtedly forming fresh wind slabs in lee (east) areas.

Winds will fade tonight, and continue slowing down tomorrow. Treeline winds will settle into the moderate range (30km/hr+) tomorrow and be out of the west. As winds drop, temperatures will rise slightly for a daytime high of -8. A few flurries will blow through, but accumulation will be minimal.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.