Avalanche Forecast

High

• We are confident due to a stable weather pattern.

Explosive control on cornices continues to produce large results. This is the time of year when cornices are more likely to fail naturally, too.

A large (size 3) cornice collapsed naturally on Tuesday near The Bugaboos, as well as one small skier accidental wind slab that occurred below a cornice near Golden.

A thin crust has formed on south-facing terrain from recent solar radiation and overnight refreeze. On shaded aspects, 10 to 15 cm of recent snow overlies wind-affected, consolidated snow.

Below this, 30 to 70 cm of snow overlies a thick crust from the recent atmospheric river, which extends up to at least 2200 m.

Various persistent weak layers may still exist in the top 150 cm of the snowpack and in shallow snowpack areas, depth hoar (large facets) can be found near the bottom of the snowpack. Large triggers, like falling cornices, may be able to trigger these layers at upper elevations where the crust below the recent snow is thin or absent.

Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1900 m.

Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid travelling on slopes below cornices.
• Avalanche activity is unlikely when a thick melt-freeze crust is present on the snow surface.
• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.