Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - We have a good understanding of the snowpack structure and confidence in the weather forecast

Friday night: stormy with up to 10 cm of new snow and moderate southerly winds. Low of -2 at 1500 m.

Saturday: cloudy with up to 10cm of new snow and light southwest winds. Freezing levels rising to 1300m.

Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud with light flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow. High of -2 at 1500 m. Light to mmoderate southwest winds.

Monday: mostly cloudy with around 5cm of new snow expected. Moderate southwest winds and freezing levels rising to 1600 m. 

Over the past couple days skiers have triggered wind and storm slab avalanches up to size 1.5. Most of this avalanche activity has been on north aspects and at or above treeline.

New wind and storm slab will likely form over Friday night and during the day on Saturday. 20 to 40 cm overlies surface hoar in shady, wind-sheltered areas and a hard melt-freeze crust on all aspects below 1500 m and on sun-exposed slopes into the alpine.  

Around 50-80 cm deep, a weak layer of facets may be found above a melt-freeze crust that formed in February. This layer had been most reactive on north and northeast aspects between 1600 and 2100 m. While this layer is now likely dormant in most areas, it still remains a concern for professionals in the region and could still be capable of producing isolated large avalanches if triggered. Check out this forecaster blog for more info.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
• Be aware of the potential for large avalanches due to the presence of buried persistent weak layers.