Avalanche Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Clear / Light, northwest ridgetop wind / alpine low temperature -15 / Freezing level valley bottom.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny / Light, northwest ridgetop wind / alpine high temperature 0 / Freezing level 1700 m.

SATURDAY: Sunny / Light, southeast ridgetop wind / alpine high temperature 3 / Freezing level rapidly rising to 2500 m. and staying elevated overnight.

SUNDAY: Mostly sunny / Light, southwest ridgetop wind / alpine high temperature 4 / Freezing level 2500 m.

No avalanches were reported in this region on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, a size 2.5 cornice failure was reported.

There was a MIN report on Monday of a small wet loose point release triggering a size 2 slab avalanche around 30 cm. deep on a south aspect. See MIN HERE.

Dry soft snow can be found on shaded aspects above around 1500 m. On south-facing slopes and at lower elevations expect crusty snow in the morning and soft, moist snow in the afternoon. Lingering wind slabs and cornices may still pose a hazard close to steep ridgelines.

A Persistent weak layer of facets buried in mid-February was reactive in the north of the region earlier this month but no avalanches have been reported on this layer since Mar. 3rd. There are several other weak layers deeper in the snowpack composed of old surface hoar, facets and/or crusts, all of which have been recently unreactive.

Big warm ups, like the one headed our way this weekend often awaken dormant weak layers resulting in large avalanches. Steep, rocky, convex terrain with a shallow or thin to thick snowpack are examples of places where triggering these layers are more likely.

Sunshine and warm temperatures often cause large cornice failures which are hazardous on their own and can also trigger large avalanches on deeper weak layers that the weight of a single rider would not trigger.

• Avoid exposure to slopes that have cornices overhead.
• A moist or wet snow surface, pinwheeling and natural avalanches are all indicators of a weakening snowpack.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.