Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday

FRIDAY NIGHT: 10-15 cm of snow in the south and 5 cm in the north, moderate southwest wind, alpine temperatures drop to -8 C.SATURDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall and accumulations of 5-10 cm, light southwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -6 C.SUNDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light southeast wind, alpine high temperatures around -6 C.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, light northeast wind, alpine high temperatures around -6 C.

On Thursday, a skier triggered slab avalanche was reported in the Duffey area on northwest aspect at 1900 m (see MIN report here). A few small (size 1) wind slabs were also observed near ridgetops, and several loose dry avalanches were were observed in steep rocky terrain.

New snow amounts will be variable across the region on Saturday, with 15-30 cm possible in the south and 5-15 cm in the north. Deeper deposits may be found in wind-affected alpine terrain. Recent snow may sit above hard wind slabs or sun crusts. A weak layer above a crust can be found roughly 20-30 cm deep at treeline and below treeline elevations, and has produced some small slabs with low destructive potential on isolated features. The remainder of the snowpack is generally well-settled.