Avalanche Forecast
Though unlikely, triggering avalanches on buried surface hoar could have severe consequences.
Confidence
Moderate
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported in the region, however there are currently very few field observations.
If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
A surface crust exists up to treeline elevations. The upper snowpack is generally well settled with no current layers of concern.
The mid-pack generally contains two separate layers of surface hoar. At lower elevations, a melt-freeze crust may exist between the two surface hoar layers.
The current snowpack has considerable variation in structure and depths across the region.
Weather Summary
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation, south alpine winds 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -7 °C.
Wednesday
Cloudy with no precipitation, southwest alpine winds 20 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with up to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
Terrain and Travel Advice
- Surface hoar distribution is highly variable. Avoid generalizing your observations.
- Start with conservative lines and watch for clues of instability.
Avalanche Problems
Persistent Slabs
Buried surface hoar layers remain a cause for concern. Uncertainty remains about the distribution and reactivity of these layers.
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Unlikely
Expected Size: 1.5 - 3