Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern with little change expected.

Monday night - Clear with cloudy periods / moderate to strong northwest wind / alpine low temperature near -11 

Tuesday - A mix of sun and cloud / moderate to strong northwest wind / alpine high temperature near -4 / freezing level 1500 m

Wednesday - Sunny / moderate southwest wind / alpine high temperature near -1 / freezing level 2000 m 

Thursday - A mix of sun and cloud / strong southwest wind / alpine high temperature near 1 / freezing level 2300 m

There were no new avalanches reported on Sunday.

A couple of MIN reports from Saturday near Ymir Peak detail a large (size 2.5), potentially remote triggered wind slab on a south aspect at 2300 metres. Check both reports for the story and the images. Heating from solar exposure was suspected to have contributed to triggering the slide. Quite a few more small loose snow avalanches were reported elsewhere in the region.

The region received around 10-15 cm of new snow over the weekend. For the most part, the new snow buries surfaces that became moist with daytime warming on Saturday. There is some uncertainty about the extent to which this moist snow refroze into crust in advance of the storm. The new snow adds to settled dry storm snow on high elevation north aspects.

Below an additional 30-40 cm of snow accumulated through last week and weekend, there is a widespread melt-freeze crust, with the exception of high north-facing terrain where faceted snow or surface hoar may exist at this interface.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
• Even brief periods of direct sun could produce natural avalanches.
• Be aware of highly variable recent wind loading patterns.