Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain

Tuesday night: Periods of snow bringing approximately 20 cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southwest winds.Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud with clearing over the day. Light to moderate northeast winds. Freezing level rising to 900 metres with alpine high temperatures of -3.Thursday: Mainly cloudy with cloud and light flurries increasing over the day. About 5 cm of new snow accumulating by Friday morning. Light southwest winds, increasing overnight. Freezing level to 500 metres with alpine high temperatures of -4.Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light to moderate northwest winds. Freezing level to 900 metres with alpine high temperatures around -2.

On Saturday, a cornice collapse was the likely cause of a size 2 avalanche on a north facing slope near the West Lion. See here for images and more details. Looking forward, avalanche danger will increasing quickly over Tuesday night as new storm slabs form over the firm crust that exists at most elevations. This crust is likely to act as a very effective sliding layer that will resist bonding to the new snow over the near term. Treeline elevations may see the touchiest conditions develop because of the combination of this crust with the added factor of winds promoting slab formation.

Increasing flurries are expected to bring about 20 cm of new snow to the region by Wednesday morning. Beneath the new snow, the upper snowpack at most elevations has locked up as a firm rain crust. In the high alpine, the new snow is accumulating over wind affected surfaces and thin wind slabs. It will take time for the new snow to form a solid bond with these varied surfaces - especially the rain crust. The average snowpack depth at treeline is 300 cm of well settled snow with no significant layers of concern.