Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - The snowpack structure is generally well understood.

Monday night: No new snow expected. Possibility of mild temperature inversion, 1 at 1500 m. Light southwest winds.

Tuesday: Cloudy with no new snow expected. Southerly winds increasing throughout the day to strong in the evening. Freezing levels rising to 1600 m.

Wednesday: Mostly cloudy with light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Moderate southwest winds. Freezing level rising to 1300 m.

Thursday: A mix of sun and cloud with the possibility of light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Moderate west winds and freezing level around 1300 m.

On Sunday ski cutting produced one size one wind slab avalanche on a northwest aspect at 1700 m. This avalanche ran on the late March crust mentioned in the snowpack summary.

A supportive crust extends into the alpine on all aspects. This crust will likely become moist as the freezing level rises. Wind slabs may be found at high elevations on north and east aspects.

Large overhanging cornices have been observed in the region. Best practice is to limit your time under these hazards.

A couple of layers of weak crystals in the upper snowpack appear to be bonding according to recent snowpack tests. Additionally, we suspect that the surface crust will help bridge these layers, further decreasing their likelihood of triggering.

• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.
• Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.