Avalanche Forecast

High

A few loose dry avalanches up to size 1.5 have been observed over the past 48hrs from steep unskiable terrain. One naturally triggered size 2.5 slab avalanche was observed in the Rummel Lake area that is likely 24 to 48hrs old. This slide failed on a North aspect in the Alpine.

An additional 10cm of new snow in the past 24 hours, brings the recent HST totals up to 60cm. This new snow is overlying a variety of surfaces from temperature crusts on solar aspects to dry snow on polar aspects. Isolated wind slabs are found in the Alpine, especially in lee and cross-loaded features. Moist snow was found on solar aspects by late morning, which will form a new thin surface crust overnight. While we have seen the February crust become less reactive, it's still a concern and worth a dig to see what it's doing. Thin weak areas have also been the cause of at least one recent size 3.0 skier accidental avalanche that triggered the deep persistent slab layers near ground. Forecasters have low confidence in any features that have not slid yet this season. Moderate danger means Human triggered avalanches are possible.

When the sun comes out and temperatures warm up, expect avalanche danger to increase, especially on solar aspects in thin steep rocky terrain. Start early and be done early before the heat arrives. Plan your tour to avoid solar aspects later in the day and think about slopes in the sun first thing in the morning when you are in the cool valley floor.

Light flurries Saturday night may drop a couple of cm's of snow. Sunday should bring a mix of sun and cloud with temperatures in the Alpine reaching -2C. Winds will be mostly light from the North.

Be aware that when the sun comes out it packs a punch! Stability will quickly deteriorate on solar aspects when the sun is shining. These effects will me most apparent in thin rocky terrain so be sure to think about aspect at this time of year as well as time of day.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.
• Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
• The more the snowpack warms-up and weakens, the more conservative you`ll want to be with your terrain selection.
• Avoid sun exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong, especially if snow is moist or wet