Avalanche Forecast

THURSDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy / Light northwest winds / Low of -12 / Freezing level surface.

FRIDAY: Mostly cloudy with flurries; 3-10 cm, and another 10-15 cm overnight / Moderate west wind / High of -5 / Freezing level rising to 1000 m.

SATURDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries; 3-5 cm / Moderate west wind / High of -2 / Freezing level 1300 m.

SUNDAY: Cloudy with flurries; 5-10 cm / Light southwest wind / High of -1 / Freezing level 1400 m.

A few skier triggered size 1 wind slabs on a variety of aspects in the alpine were reported on Wednesday.

Heavy loads, such as cornice failures, can trigger large avalanches on deeply buried weak layers.

A few centimeters of recent snow now covers a weak layer of surface hoar in shady, sheltered terrain. The incoming snow this weekend will likely activate this layer. Recent west and northwest winds have formed wind slabs on lee features in the alpine. 

Sun crust on southerly aspects and temperature crust on all aspects below 1600 m.

The late February persistent weak layer combination of crust, facets and surface hoar is down 30-40 cm. Reports suggest this layer is becoming less reactive in most areas.

Two persistent weak layers from mid February and late January are buried 50-120cm deep. No recent avalanches have been reported on these layers but they continue to produce the occasional notable result in snowpack tests.

The most likely triggers of these persistent weak layers are large triggers such as smaller avalanches in motion, cornices, or snowmobiles.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.
• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
• Cornice failure may trigger large avalanches.
• Minimize your exposure time below cornices.