Avalanche Forecast

Several small wet loose avalanches occurred on Tuesday out of steep slopes in the afternoon sun.

Several large (size 2) skier-accidental and skier-controlled storm slab avalanches occurred on Monday east of New Denver.

15 to 25 cm of recent snow overlies predominantly crusty surfaces, except for northerly aspects at upper elevations.

A layer of surface hoar is buried 30-60 cm in isolated, sheltered areas at treeline.

A widespread crust with sugary facets above is buried 80-180 cm deep. Steep or convex terrain features with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack at treeline and above are the places where it may still be possible to trigger this layer.

However, when a thick surface crust is present, human triggering this layer is unlikely.

Wednesday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h south ridgetop wind.  Treeline temperature -4 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind.  Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Mostly cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind.  Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.

Mostly clear skies with up to 2 cm of snow. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind.  Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1800 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.