Avalanche Forecast

Moderate

At the time of publishing, no new avalanches were reported in the past week. It’s possible that human triggered avalanches could have occurred late in the day on Saturday.

Up to 20 cm of new snow may accumulate by Sunday morning. This new snow will be accompanied by moderate to strong southeast winds forming wind slab on north and west aspects. In sheltered terrain this new snow may overlie soft, faceted snow or surface hoar. In exposed terrain it will overlie a sun crust or wind-affected snow.

A late-January weak layer (hard crust, facets, or surface hoar) is buried 60 to 100 cm deep, but the overlying snow lacks slab properties, so it is not currently a concern.

The lower snowpack is strong and bonded.

Saturday Night

Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Sunday

Cloudy with 5 cm of snow. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.

Monday

Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

Tuesday

Mostly cloudy with trace amounts of snow. 15 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been affected by wind.
• Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.
• Closely monitor how the new snow is bonding to the old surface.