Avalanche Forecast

Good

Saturday: Isolated flurries in the early part of the day with partially sunny breaks in the afternoon. Winds will be light from the northwest. Alpine temperatures will be near -6.Sunday: A weak ridge of high pressure should bring dry conditions with light north winds and alpine temperatures near -6.Monday: High pressure will continue to influence the region giving mostly sunny conditions, light west winds and alpine temperatures near -6.

Recent avalanche activity in the region has been limited to loose snow avalanches running in steep terrain and a few isolated slab releases to size 2 from steep rocky terrain in the alpine. Glide cracks are continuing to open wider. The potential for subsequent largely unpredictable full-depth avalanches are a concern.

In sheltered open areas at tree line and below there is newly formed surface hoar now buried by 10-20cm of low density snow. This surface hoar may be sitting on a thin sun crust on steep southerly facing slopes. The mid-pack is reported to be settling well. Recent reports indicate late November surface hoar (near the middle of the snowpack) and early November crust (near the base of the snowpack) have been inactive. It's important to note that professionals are still cautious about these lingering persistent slab problems, however the likelihood of triggering is low. Be wary of steep complex terrain with a shallow snowpack, where triggering a persistent weakness is more likely.