Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

A few loose dry avalanches at treeline and below up to size 2. No new slab avalanche activity was observed.

On average 10cm of new snow fell at treeline with some areas seeing more and some a bit less. Valley bottoms (where snow is needed the most) was where it was less with only around 5cm accumulation. This new snow is overlying a thin melt freeze crust up to 2100m that makes the skiing very challenging but so far the bond appears to be good. The upper snowpack continues to strengthen with the only notable sheer at the interface with the deeper weak facets in the moderate range. Isolated windslabs were observed in alpine areas on southern aspects from the recent northerly winds but they do not extend far downslope.

As the snowpack above the weaker base becomes more cohesive the potential for wide propagation increases. This will be a common theme this winter and you should always be thinking about consequences of an avalanche.

Turns are pretty hard to come by as one forecaster described the area as the worst they have ever seen.....

The cold arctic air is here! A high pressure ridge is over us right now that will keep the chance for flurries minimal to non-existent. Cold temperatures will continue with winds out of the NW in the moderate range at upper elevations.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Be aware of the potential for surprisingly large avalanches due to deeply buried weak layers.
• If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.