Avalanche Forecast
Regions: Glacier.
Don't let the sun tempt you into a bigger, bolder line than you planned for.
The new snow sits on a persistent weak layer, namely crusts, facets, and hard windslab. Let this new slab have time to bond to these old surfaces.
Weather Forecast
A weak ridge today, followed by snow tomorrow.
Today: Cloudy with sunny periods, Alp high -12*C, light SW winds
Tonight/Thurs: Snow, 20cm, Alp high -8*C, strong SW winds
Fri: Flurries, 5-10cm, Alp high -9*C, light to occasional gusting strong SW winds
Snowpack Summary
The 80mm of precip earlier in the week, extreme S'ly winds, and mild temps have created a widespread persistent slab. This sits on the Feb 14 drought interface, which is a wind crust in exposed areas near Rogers Pass, and buried windslabs/facets as you move East or West. This new slab is of most concern in wind-exposed areas in the Alpine and TL.
Avalanche Summary
Natural activity has died down in the last 24hrs with the decrease in wind and temp. Only a few avalanches were detected yesterday during daylight hours.
Monday and Tues saw a torrent of large natural and artillery-controlled avalanches to sz 4, running full path out onto valley bottom fans.
Confidence
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
The recent snowfall sits on the Feb14 drought layer. This new snow will take time to bond to the crust/facet layer. Of most concern are areas with significant wind effect and where the slab overlies a crust (S'ly aspects).
- Minimize exposure to steep, sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
- Dig down to find and test weak layers before committing to a line.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Likely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3
Loose Dry
The tail-end of the previous storm finished with 25-30cm of cooler, low density snow. This could power-sluff in steep terrain, and it would be a real hazard if it pushes you into a terrain trap, resulting in a deep burial.
- If triggered dry loose point releases can form deeper deposits in terrain traps.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Treeline, Below Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2