Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain on Saturday

FRIDAY: Unsettled conditions with isolated flurries, moderate becoming light southwesterly winds and freezing levels dropping to 1400 m.SATURDAY: Cloudy with flurries bringing another 2-5 cm overnight, light winds and freezing levels around 1000 m.SUNDAY: Cloudy with light flurries, light southerly winds and freezing levels around 1300 m.

Reports from Wednesday and Thursday morning include continued natural and skier-triggered loose wet avalanche activity up to Size 1 on steep slopes. On Monday a natural Size 2 wind slab was observed on a northeast aspect at 2100 m failing down 40 cm. Explosives triggered a few Size 2-3 persistent slabs failing on the early February weakness down 50-60 cm. Touchy new wind and storm slabs are sensitive to light triggers and have the potential to step down and trigger persistent slab avalanches.

Expect to find 20-30 cm of fresh snow blown into touchy wind slabs at higher elevations, and wet and cohesionless rain-soaked snow at lower elevations, which should soon freeze into a solid crust. Rapidly settling storm snow from last week is still bonding poorly to the previous snow surface from early February, which is now down 60-80 cm and includes a sun crust on steep sun-exposed slopes, faceted snow, as well as surface hoar on sheltered open slopes. The mid and lower snowpack are generally well settled and stable in deeper snowpack areas but may be faceted and weaker in shallower areas. The mid-December surface hoar/facet persistent weakness can now be found down roughly 150 cm. It has become inactive in the south of the region, but may still be lingering in the northern part of the region near Blue River and Valemount.