Avalanche Forecast

Sunday night: light flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow with moderate south winds. Low of -3 at 2000 m.

MONDAY: Cloudy with 5 cm of new snow. Moderate south winds shifting to southwest in the late afternoon. Freezing level rising to 1900 m.

TUESDAY: A mix of sun and cloud with no new snow expected. Light to moderate west wind and freezing level around 1800 m.

Wednesday: Sunny with no new snow expected. Light west winds and freezing levels around 2000 m.

In the past few days small wind slab avalanches have been triggered by skiers on north and east facing terrain in the alpine. On Saturday one natural cornice fall was observed, it did not trigger a slab on the slope below.

Wind slabs may be found in exposed terrain in the treeline and alpine. A crust exists on or near the surface on all aspects as high as 2500 m. This crust will become moist at lower elevations as the freezing level rises. Multiple crusts exist on solar aspects.

Cornices have been observed throughout the region. Best practice is to limit time traveling on slopes below these hazards.

At 30 to 75 cm below the snow surface, a sun crust can be found on solar aspects from March. The recent warm weather seems to have helped this layer bond. 

A thick rain crust with facets above from early December is buried around 150 cm deep. Large avalanches were naturally triggered on this layer during the most recent warm temperatures in western terrain near the Bugaboos. Continued avalanche activity on this layer is unlikely with cooler temperatures forecast. 

• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
• When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.