Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Saturday night: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 10-20 cm, 30-50 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -3 C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Sunday: Overnight snowfall around 5 cm then cloudy, 20 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -2 C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Monday: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 40-60 cm, 40-60 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -2 C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Tuesday: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 30-40 cm, 30-50 km/h southwest wind, treeline temperature -1 C. Freezing level 1300 m.

On Saturday, explosives and ski cuts produced size 1 loose dry avalanches. Avalanche activity will increase in the coming days as new slabs form. The snow may remain quite reactive if it doesn't bond well to the melt-freeze crust.

30-50 cm of new snow sits on a hard melt-freeze crust on all aspects up to 1500 m and to the mountain tops on sun-exposed slopes. The snow sits on variable wind-affected snow on northerly aspects above 1500 m.

A few other melt-freeze crusts are found in the top 100 cm of the snowpack but appear to be progressively bonding.

The remainder of the snowpack is well-bonded.

• Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
• Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
• Keep in mind the crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
• Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.