Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the limited number of field observations.

SATURDAY NIGHT: Cloudy / Light south winds / Low of -9 / Freezing level surface.

SUNDAY: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries; 3-5 cm, and another 5-10 cm overnight / Light southwest wind / High of -1 / Freezing level 1300 m.

MONDAY: Flurries; 5-10 cm / Strong southwest wind / High of 1 / Freezing level 1600 m.

TUESDAY: Flurries; 5-10 cm / Moderate west wind / High of 1 / Freezing level 1500 m.

A naturally triggered size 1 wind slab on a northeast aspect in the alpine was reported on Friday.

Riders may get surprised by widely propagating wind slabs that are sitting on crusts and/or surface hoar.

10-15 cm of new snow and moderate southwest winds on Friday night formed fresh wind slabs on lee features in open terrain.

The 15-20 cm of recent snow is sitting on a variety of surfaces including hard wind affected snow, sun crusts on southerly slopes, and surface hoar on shady or sheltered slopes. Expect storm slabs to be most reactive where they are sitting on either a sun crust or surface hoar.

The lower snowpack is generally well-settled and strong in most areas, with prominent crust layers 50 to 100 cm deep. No recent persistent slab avalanches have been reported on these layers.

• Potential for wide propagation exists, fresh slabs may rest on surface hoar, facets and/or crust.
• Carefully assess open slopes and convex rolls where buried surface hoar may be preserved.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.