Avalanche Forecast

Wednesday - Explosives triggered a few slab avalanches up to size 1.5 near Golden. A large (size 2) naturally triggered wind slab was also observed on a north facing alpine slope near the Bugaboos.

Reports indicate that the recent storm snow seems to be bonding quickly to the underlying crust, but that human triggering may remain possible - especially in areas that received 20 cm or more of new snow.

A recent cold front delivered variable snowfall amounts across the region. Expect anywhere from 10 to 25 cm of settled storm snow that may be poorly bonded to an underlying crust in the upper alpine.

Steep sunny slopes and lower elevations may have a surface crust or turn moist in the heat of the day.

Below this, the snowpack consists of various melt-freeze crust layers, and the lower snowpack contains old weak layers that are no longer concerning.

Thursday Night

Partly cloudy, with isolated flurries possible. 20 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Friday

Sunny. 5 to 15 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature around -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1400 - 1600 m.

Saturday

Sunny. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Sunday

Cloudy with 0 to 4 cm of snow possible. 25 to 35 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be alert to conditions that change with aspect and elevation.
• Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the crust.
• When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
• As surface loses cohesion due to melting, loose wet avalanches become common in steeper terrain.