Avalanche Forecast

On Friday, there some wind slab avalanches were reported. These ranged in size from 1 to 2, were found on east and west aspects, and occurred at alpine and below treeline elevation. Their triggers varied. One was caused by a skier remote, while another was caused by a natural cornice fall. These are both good reminders to keep an eye on the snow as you travel through the terrain but also be aware of the overhead hazard.

Please continue to share any observations or photos on the Mountain Information Network.

In sheltered areas, the 25 to 35 cm of the snow pack will be of fresh snow that fell earlier this week. At higher elevation this new snow will be redistributed into wind slabs by southerly winds. Further down in elevation this snow was and still may be moist or wet, caused by warm temperatures and rain. Due to cooling temperatures a crust may have already formed. There may be a series of crust found 50 cm and again 80 cm deep. These layers have been somewhat reactive in snow pit tests.

The snowpack in this region is generally weak and shallow with sugary snow near the base. Snowpack depths around treeline range between 150 to 250 cm.

Saturday Night

Clouds increasing into the evening, no accumulation, winds south southwest 10 to 20 km/h, treeline -5 °C.

Sunday

Mostly cloudy, up to 10 cm accumulation arriving early evening, winds southwest 20 to 30 km/h, treeline -2 °C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds southwest 10 to 20 km/h, treeline -8 °C.

Tuesday

Sunny, no accumulation, winds north northwest 10 to 15 km/h, treeline -12 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Be carefull around freshly wind loaded features.
• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Caution around slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.