Avalanche Forecast
Regions: South Rockies.
Confidence
Low - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Increasing cloud with light snowfall in the afternoon bringing trace amounts. Freezing level in valley bottoms and light increasing to moderate westerly ridgetop winds. Friday: A mix of sun and cloud with a chance of light snow flurries. Freeing level near valley bottoms and light southwesterly winds. Saturday: Increasing cloud and wind with flurries in the afternoon and freezing level remaining in valley bottoms.
Avalanche Summary
Reports from Monday are limited, but include an isolated explosive-triggered Size 1 wind slab avalanche.
Snowpack Summary
Continued snowfall brings total treeline snowpack depths to around a metre, with even more in the alpine, but it diminishes quickly below treeline. Recent storm and wind slabs, probably 30-50 cm thick, are bonding poorly to the old snow surface buried early December, which is probably a crust and/or a combination of facets and buried surface hoar. Below that a thick layer of facets is probably bonding poorly to the thick mid-November crust. We're receiving very little information from the region, so please consider sharing your observations via the Mountain Information Network.
Avalanche Problems
Storm Slabs
Aspects: All aspects.
Elevations: Alpine, Treeline.
Likelihood: Possible - Likely
Expected Size: 1 - 4