Avalanche Forecast

High -

Tuesday night: Mostly cloudy. Light northwest winds. Alpine low -4 C. Freezing level 1000 m.

Wednesday: Flurries bringing 5-10 cm new snow. Southwest winds building to strong. Alpine high -3 C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud. Moderate southwest winds building overnight, becoming extreme at ridgetop. Alpine high -1 C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Friday: Broken cloud with flurries bringing 5-15 cm new snow. Moderate southwest winds. Alpine high +2 C. Freezing level rising to 2200 m by evening.

On Sunday and Monday, storm slabs were reactive to skier traffic up to size 1.5 on north to east aspects in the alpine. Natural storm slab activity has tapered since the weekend but a few have been observed up to size 2 out of steep, unsupported headwalls as recently as Monday. 

On Monday, two deep persistent slab avalanches were reported in shallow snowpack areas on southwest aspects around 2000 m, with crown depths of 1 m or greater. A size 1.5 was vehicle triggered above a cut bank. A size 2.5 was remotely triggered by a skier in a thin to thick snowpack area. 

At upper elevations, recent snow has settled into a storm slab amid mild temperatures. Around treeline, the upper snowpack contains several crusts from recent warm temperatures and rain events, some observed as high as 2100 m. 

A layer of surface hoar is buried 80-120 cm below the surface in sheltered areas around treeline. Weak basal facet/crust layers are particularly noteworthy in the western Boundary area. Both of these layers have been trending less reactive over the past two weeks.

• Keep in mind that human triggering potential persists as natural avalanching tapers off.
• Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
• Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.