Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Friday

FRIDAY: 2-10 cm snow. Freezing level near 500 m. Moderate to strong westerly winds. SATURDAY: Light snow. Freezing level near 300 m. Moderate winds. SUNDAY: Flurries. Freezing level near 600 m. Moderate winds.More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

Rapid wind loading caused a natural avalanche cycle to size 2.5 on Wednesday. With ongoing moderate to strong winds forecast, wind slabs will remain possible to trigger over the next few days. Persistent slabs could still be triggered from thin-to-thick snowpack areas, or with a heavy load like a cornice fall.

The snowpack has gone through several bouts of fighting with strong to extreme northerly winds in the last week. You are likely to encounter wind slabs in many places. Variable surface conditions include fragile cornices, hard and soft wind slabs, and scoured surfaces. The wind slabs sit on various old surfaces including sun crusts, facets and spotty surface hoar (which is most prevalent in sheltered treed locations). Around 50-150 cm down, you will find a crust/surface hoar layer from mid-January, which still has the chance to surprise you and could be triggered from a thin snowpack spot, or with a large trigger like cornice fall. Facets at the base of the snowpack can possibly be triggered from shallow snowpack areas.