Avalanche Forecast

Many small (size 1 to 1.5) slabs were triggered by riders and explosives on the weekend. They were generally 20 to 50 cm deep, on all aspects, and at treeline and alpine elevations. One avalanche stepped down the faceted grains above the melt-freeze crust described in the Snowpack Summary.

Looking forward, human and naturally-triggered avalanches are very likely by Monday afternoon as stormy conditions continue to form slabs and load buried weak layers.

Over 60 cm of snow accumulated since last Thursday, and another 20 to 40 cm is forecast by Monday evening. Deeper deposits may be found in lee terrain features in the alpine from strong southwest wind.

All this snow is loading a weak surface hoar layer and/or weak faceted snow found 50 to 100 cm deep in tree openings sheltered from the wind. Below this is a hard melt-freeze crust that formed mid-November.

Average treeline snow depths range from 90 to 140 cm, which tapers quickly at lower elevations.

Sunday Night
Cloudy. 10 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C. Freezing level 1300 m.

Monday
Cloudy. 15 to 30 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

Tuesday
Cloudy with afternoon clearing. 20 to 40 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Wednesday
Cloudy. 15 to 25 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1400 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Travel in alpine terrain is not recommended.
• Remote triggering is a concern; avoid terrain where triggering overhead slopes is possible.
• Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
• Be cautious of buried obstacles, especially below treeline.