Avalanche Forecast

Low - Due to the number of field observations

A ridge of high pressure should bring mostly sunny conditions for Christmas day. Temperatures at treeline should be around -15C and alpine winds are expected to increase to moderate from the NW in the afternoon. A mix of sun and cloud is expected for Saturday with moderate NW winds and treeline temperatures around -10C. A weak storm system is expected for Sunday but models are currently showing only a few centimeters of new snow.

No new avalanches have been reported since Monday.

20-40cm of low-density snow overlies soft wind slabs which formed last weekend. The few observations we have received suggest a good bond within the storm layers in the upper snowpack. Between 80 and 130cm below the surface you'll likely find a weak layer of well-developed surface hoar which was buried in early December. This layer is most widespread at lower elevations (between 1100m and 1700m.) Snow pit tests suggest that human triggering of this interface has become less likely. That said, if it does fail the overlying slab is stiff enough to propagate over a wide distance. Below this layer, the snowpack is thought to be generally strong and well-settled.