Avalanche Forecast

High - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Cloudy skies with isolated flurries bringing trace amounts of snow, moderate to strong wind from the west, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

FRIDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries bringing a trace amounts snow, moderate wind from the west, treeline temperatures around -3 C with freezing level around 1300 m.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries starting in the morning bringing 10-15 cm of snow by the evening, strong wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -5 C.

SUNDAY: Stormy weather continues with another 10-20 cm of snow, light wind, treeline temperatures drop to -10 C throughout the day.

Avalanche activity over the past few days has been limited to small (size 1) slab and loose avalanches in steep alpine terrain.

10 cm of fresh snow sits above hard wind-affect snow and melt-freeze crusts. Some small surface hoar may be found above the crust in sheltered terrain. A buried surface hoar layer can be found 15 to 30 cm deep on north-facing slopes around treeline. Although this layer has been reactive in snowpack tests, avalanches have not recently been triggered on this layer. The snowpack below is well consolidated, with a crust/facet layer found near the bottom of the snowpack. It is currently considered dormant, but could become active later this season as discussed in this forecaster blog.

• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
• When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.