Avalanche Forecast

Friday: Isolated flurries with overcast skies, winds light from the west. Alpine temperatures near -10.Saturday: Light precipitation, winds will be light west and northwest. Alpine temperatures will be near -10.Sunday: A weak ridge of high pressure should bring drier conditions with upper level temperatures remaining cool.

Recent avalanche activity in the region has been limited to loose snow avalanches in steep terrain and a few thin wind slab releases to size 2. Glide cracks are continuing to open wider. The potential for subsequent largely unpredictable full-depth avalanches are a concern.

A wind event from last week formed relatively deep wind slabs in the alpine. These have been buried by the most recent new snow combined with wind forming fresh wind slabs on the surface. In sheltered open areas at tree line and below there is newly formed surface hoar now buried by 5-10cm of low density snow. There are some reports of a sun crust down around 100 cm in steep south facing features. The mid-pack is reported to be settling well. Recent reports indicate late November surface hoar (near the middle of the snowpack) and early November crust (near the base of the snowpack) have been inactive. It's important to note that professionals are still cautious about these lingering persistent slab problems, however the likelihood of triggering is low. Be wary of steep complex terrain with a shallow snowpack, where triggering a persistent weakness is more likely.