Avalanche Forecast

Saturday Night: Mostly cloudy. 0-10 cm of snow expected. Strong southwest wind. Freezing level could rise as high as 500 m. 

Sunday: Partly cloudy. 0-5 cm of snow expected. Moderate south wind trending to southwest at higher elevations. Freezing levels drop to valley bottom. Treeline high around -5 °C. 

Monday: Scattered clouds. No new snow expected. Moderate north wind. Treeline high around - 10 °C. Possible temperature inversion setting up.

Tuesday: Scattered clouds. No new snow expected. Variable light wind. Treeline high around -8 °C. Possible temperature inversion could result in temperatures warmer than -10 above 1750 m.

Check out this great Mountain Information Network (MIN) post from Fraser Chutes in White Pass. This group dug a snow profile on a southwest aspect in the alpine. They found a reactive slab 25 cm deep during compression tests that seemed consistent with the small, reactive slabs they were finding on specific alpine features. They reported great skiing Treeline and down.

Avalanche danger is expected to decrease as the snow tapers off, and temperatures decrease, but pockets of windslab could still be reactive to human triggers. Watch for signs of instability as you travel. 

Remember that a lack of observed avalanches does not necessarily mean that there is a lack of avalanche activity. If you are getting out in the backcountry, and have conditions information, or even just good vibes and good photos to share, consider making a post on the Mountain Information Network (MIN). 

10-20 cm of recent storm snow has been redistributed by moderate to strong southwest wind. In terrain exposed to the wind, this probably continues to build reactive windslabs in lee features.

Recent warm temperatures rapidly settled the upper snowpack, and may have melted some of the near surface snow. As temperatures cool again, snow that was moist may become a breakable crust, making for challenging riding. It is unknown if this melting and refreezing reached elevations high enough to effect riding terrain.

In open, wind exposed terrain at treeline, hazards like rocks and lumpy, hard wind effected snow might only be thinly buried.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
• Even a small avalanche can be harmful if it pushes you into an obstacle or a terrain trap.
• Carefully monitor the bond between the new snow and old surface.
• Keep in mind the crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.