Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

Several loose dry avalanches up to size 1 have been observed. Some wind slab avalanches have also been observed up to size 2 in both steep terrain and at treeline. This next storm will likely start a natural cycle.

There is a lot going on in the snowpack now with all the new snow. 25cm of snow has fallen in this last storm and has become a wind slab in all exposed areas. Another 10cm is forecast to fall on Wednesday, again with strong SW winds. This is simply creating more wind slabs on the surface which are now sitting on a variety of interfaces:

1. The February 24 storm interface which is down about 20-30cm and consists of suncrust and previous wind slabs. This layer will be sensitive to skier triggering.

2. The February 3 Rain crust which is down about 40-50cm. This crust has started to break down in many places with facets showing up near the crust- the perfect sliding layer. There is a strong likelihood that any avalanche triggered in the upper snowpack will also step down to this layer.

3. The November basal facets are alive and well and have come back on our radar as the February 2 rain crust is deteriorating and not locking in the weaknesses below as it once did. Skier weight has now been able to break through the Feb 2 rain crust in some places, which means that the basal facets can now be more easily affected.

   On top of all of this, we also have a loose dry avalanche problem.

The next storm is set to begin on Wednesday bringing 10cm of snow by the end of the ski day. This storm is expected to bring a total of 20-30cm of snow by Friday morning, along with 70-90km/hr winds from the SW.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, avalanches may run surprisingly far.
• Avoid traveling in runout zones. Avalanches have the potential to run to the valley floor.
• Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.