Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - The weather pattern is stable

We're into a fairly stable weather pattern: seasonal temperatures and scattered flurries. SUNDAY: Cloudy with light flurries (5-10cm possible), light southerly winds and freezing levels around 1400 m.MONDAY: Cloudy with light flurries, local accumulations 5-10cm, light to moderate southwesterly winds and freezing levels around 1300 m.TUESDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with flurries starting in the afternoon, light winds and freezing levels around 1300 m.

Reports from Thursday and Friday morning include natural, ski-cut and explosives controlled 20-40 cm thick storm and wind slab avalanches up to Size 2. Explosives control also produced numerous 30-80 cm thick Size 2 deep persistent slab avalanches running on basal facets and depth hoar in previously controlled steep northeast facing terrain. Other reports include continued natural wet loose avalanche activity up to Size 2 at treeline and below. Touchy new storm slabs are sensitive to light triggers and have the potential to step down and trigger persistent slab avalanches.

Expect to find 25-40 cm of fresh snow bonding poorly to buried surface hoar and/or a crust, and blown into deep wind slabs at higher elevations. At 2000m and below a melt-freeze crust can be found on almost all elevations and aspects. 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. A persistent weakness buried mid January is now down 80-150 cm and the November crust is down around 200 cm.