Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Uncertainty is due to the speed, direction, or duration of the wind and its effect on the snowpack.

Winds are forecast to increase slightly on Friday into the moderate range out of the NW but not much in the way of new snow. Temperatures will be cooler with daytime highs around -8 and freezing levels around 2000m.  

Nothing in the way of new slab avalanche activity but when the sun came out, loose dry avalanches were observed from steeper terrain. The sun is critical at this time of the year as it can have intense solar radiation which can destabalize the snowpack quickly so keep an eye on temperatures as well as aspects. 

Only a few cm of snow has fallen over the past 24hrs with generally light winds. The key things to be aware of are windslabs in the upper snowpack along ridgelines and in crossloaded features. Some cracking has been observed in immediate lees but the slabs do not extend far downslope. The March 19th interface is down 20-40cm and producing moderate sheers. The quality of the sheer is different where it overlies a suncrust or a more wintery snowpack.  

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
• Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.