Avalanche Forecast

No avalanches have been reported in 2 days but a few naturally triggered wind slabs up to size 2 were observed in steep Alpine terrain on SE aspects late last week.

Wide variety of surface conditions depending on aspect and elevation. These include sastrugi, hard wind slab, soft wind slab, breakable sun crust, and limited quantities of soft snow in sheltered locations. There might also be moist snow in the valley bottoms and on solar aspects with a warm night and high freezing level. Recent storm snow is being redistributed by strong winds in the Alpine. Fresh surface wind slabs averaging 30cm deep are forming in lee and cross-loaded terrain at upper elevations. The two surface hoar layers can be found 5-10cm below the surface and 35-50cm below the surface; they are breaking down and not likely to be triggerable. The deep persistent layer of the November rain crust is being monitored, but likely only triggerable in shallow snowpack areas.

Wednesday will be mild and windy with an alpine temp of -2c and westerly winds at 60-80km/hr. The day will be mostly cloudy with sunny breaks, along with a freezing level rising to 2100m. Warm and sunny for the rest of the week.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid sun-exposed slopes, especially if the snow surface is moist or wet.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.
• Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.
• Use caution above cliffs and terrain traps where even small avalanches may have severe consequences.
• Avoid steep, sun-exposed slopes when the air temperature is warm or when solar radiation is strong.