Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

A size 2 and 2.5 skier-triggered deep persistent slab in the Cirque Forepeak area occurred Tuesday showing that the deeper layers can still be triggered in thin snowpack areas.

Further to the west of the subregion ... skiers triggered a size 2.5 slab at 3050m on Mt Vaux Thursday while boot-packing. Luckily there were no injuries.

20-25 cm of snow sits over the Feb 3 crust which exists in most locations (except north aspects above 2500m). At lower elevations, this crust is a sign of the stabilization that occurred during the warming event. Where it is thin: consider the snowpack to be largely as it was before the warming. While persistent weak layers remain present in the mid and bottom of the snowpack, they only remain a concern in thin areas / high elevations of this sub-region (ie with a thin Feb 3 crust).

A ridge of high pressure will dominate the region through Saturday. Clear skies will bring cold nights (TL temps -20C) and a cool day. Watch for moderate south winds to bring rising temperatures likely setting up a temperature inversion.

As winds shift west, clouds will invade on Sunday bringing the potential for light snowfall into Monday. Temperatures will rise slightly with TL overnight lows near -10C.

• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
• Avoid rock outcroppings, convexities, and anywhere the snowpack is thin and/or variable.