Avalanche Forecast
Carefully evaluate steep terrain features before committing to them.
Confidence
High
Avalanche Summary
On Monday, a skier-triggered size 1 wind slab avalanche was reported on a south aspect at 1400 m. Several small, natural, dry loose avalanches were observed on steep solar terrain below treeline.
Snowpack Summary
Previous strong to extreme winds have scoured exposed terrain on all aspects at alpine and treeline. Ongoing cold temperatures have softened the surface of wind affected terrain in many areas. In sheltered terrain 10 to 40 cm of faceted snow overlies a surface hoar layer from late January.
Another layer of surface hoar was buried near the middle of January and can be found 30 to 60 cm deep.
A layer of facets on top of a crust from early December is buried 100 to 200 cm deep. This layer is generally not a concern in this region.
Weather Summary
Wednesday Night
Clear skies. 10 to 15 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
Thursday
Sunny. 20 to 50 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Friday
A mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 25 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy. 1-3 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Avoid steep, rocky, and wind-affected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
Two surface hoar layers can be found in the upper snowpack in sheltered terrain. Activity on these layers is tapering off however human triggering this layer remains a concern in shallow snowpack areas in the alpine.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2