Avalanche Forecast

Several wind slab avalanches, up to size 2, were reported on Friday. All in alpine terrain on a variety of aspects and triggered by skiers, explosives, or naturally.

If you are out in the backcountry please consider filling out a Mountain Information Network report.

Recent outflow winds have stripped northerly aspects in the alpine, redistributing the snow into wind slabs on lee, southerly terrain. While at lower elevations a widespread melt-freeze crust exists on the surface up to roughly 1900 m and is preventing the wind from transporting much snow. The crust continues to gain strength and is becoming supportive at most elevations.

In the mid and lower snowpack, a number of buried weak layers remain a concern. These layers are most concerning in shallow, rocky areas at treeline and alpine elevations.

Saturday night

Clear, with no precipitation. Treeline temperatures -5 to -15 C. Moderate to strong northeast alpine winds, with strong to extreme outflow winds in valleys and inlets.

Sunday

Sunny, with no precipitation. Treeline temperatures 0 to -10 C. Light to moderate northwest alpine winds, with strong to extreme outflow winds in valleys and inlets.

Monday

Cloudy with sunny periods, with flurries and trace amounts of snow. Treeline temperatures 0 to -10 C. Moderate to strong northwest alpine winds.

Tuesday

Cloudy with flurries, 2 to 5 cm. Treeline temperatures -5 to -10 C. Moderate to strong southwest alpine winds.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Expect slab conditions to change drastically as you move into wind exposed terrain.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.
• If triggered, wind slabs avalanches may step down to deeper layers resulting in larger avalanches.