Avalanche Forecast

Wednesday night: Cloudy with increasing winds. Southwest winds 40-60 km/hr. Alpine temperature low -7C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Thursday: Flurries, up to 10 cm through the day. Southwest winds, 40-60 with gusts to 70 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -3C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

Friday: Flurries, 5-10 cm. Southwest winds, 30-40 gusting to 75 km/hr. Alpine temperature high -2C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Saturday: Mostly cloudy, isolated flurries. Southwest winds 30-40 km/hr. Alpine temperature high 1C. Freezing level 2000 m and rising.

No recent avalanche observations. Note we have very few field observations this early in the season. 

Wind has modified 5-10 cm of recent snow into a variety of pressed surfaces. Strong winds will continue to scour exposed features and load slopes in the alpine and treeline, expect to anything from find bare rock to dense wind slab along ridgelines and in open terrain.

Two crusts are found in the snowpack: the mid-November rain crust is buried 20-30 cm and has been reported up to 2100 m, and a crust from early November is found at the bottom of the snowpack up to 2300 m.

Snowpack depths range from 40-100 cm at treeline elevations. Higher elevations may hold a deeper snowpack, but also be more heavily impacted from recent winds. Snowpack depths decrease rapidly below 2000 m.

Early season hazards are very real right now at all elevations, be wary of thin/shallow snowpacks, rocks, stumps, creeks, and other sharks hidden under a dusting of fresh snow.

• Be alert to conditions that change with elevation and wind exposure.
• Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.