Avalanche Forecast

Clear dry weather continues until Monday.

THURSDAY NIGHT: Clear skies, calm, freezing level remains around 1500 m, alpine temperatures drop to -4 C.

FRIDAY: Sunny, light northwest wind, freezing level climbing to 1800 m in the afternoon, alpine high temperatures around -2 C.

SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light to moderate west wind, freezing level climbing to 1200 m in the afternoon, alpine high temperatures around -4 C.

SUNDAY: Increasing clouds throughout the day, light north wind, freezing level climbing to 1200 m in the afternoon, alpine high temperatures around -4 C.

Warm sunny weather over the past few days has resulted in wet loose avalanches on south-facing slopes, especially in steep rocky terrain. Most of these have been small (size 1-1.5). Some of the wet loose avalanches have triggered small wind slabs (size 1-1.5), as shown in this MIN report.

Looking forward, daily warming will likely cause more wet loose avalanches and potentially weaken cornices. If you decide to travel in the backcountry, consider sharing your observations with us and fellow recreationists via the Mountain Information Network (MIN) to supplement our data stream as operators are shutting down. Even just a photo of what the day looked like would be helpful.

Surface conditions are highly variable with a mix of crusts, moist snow, hard wind slabs, and soft faceted snow. The surface will become moist on sun-exposed slopes and at lower elevations throughout the day. The snowpack is generally strong and settled, with the exception of some areas that have weak faceted snow near the base of the snowpack, particularly in eastern and northern parts of the region. However, this layer is considered dormant and has not produced an avalanche since Feb 20.

• Back off slopes as the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.