Avalanche Forecast

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

WEDNESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy skies, strong wind from the west, treeline temperatures drop to -12 C.

THURSDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, moderate to strong wind from the west, treeline temperatures around -5 C with freezing level reaching 1500 m.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries bringing a trace amounts of snow, moderate wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -3 C with freezing level around 1800 m.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries bringing 5-10 cm of snow, strong wind from the southwest, treeline temperatures around -5 C with freezing level around 1500 m.

A few small dry loose avalanches were reported on Tuesday and some small wind slab avalanches likely occurred in the alpine on Wednesday. The last persistent slab in this region was reported during the warm sunny weather on Saturday in the Steeples. This avalanche had wide propagation on a south facing aspect at 2300 m and ran for 2 km. It is believed to have occurred on the late January persistent weak layer, with an approximate depth of 50 cm.  

5-15 cm of fresh snow overlies a variety of surfaces. Higher elevations are heavily wind effected with a melt freeze crust on solar aspects. Lower elevations hold a widespread thick melt freeze on all aspects. The late January interface is buried 10-30 cm deep. It consists of a surface hoar layer found mainly in the north of the region in sheltered terrain. The snowpack below is well consolidated, with the early-December crust/facet persistent weak layer buried 100-200 cm deep. It is currently considered dormant. We expect this layer to become active later this season, check out the forecaster blog for more information.

• Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
• Make observations and assess conditions continually as you travel.
• A crust on the surface will help bind the snow together, but may make for tough travel conditions.