Avalanche Forecast

Issued: Mar 2nd, 2024 2:30PM

The alpine rating is low, the treeline rating is low, and the below treeline rating is low. Known problems include Wind Slabs.

Avalanche Canada jfmichaud, Avalanche Canada

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Cloudy weather on Sunday is likely to limit crust warming on sunny slopes. Getting around in the mountains will remain difficult. The weather is more suitable for wandering than for descending couloirs.

Summary

Confidence

Moderate

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches reported or observed.

If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

Snowpack Summary

Saturday's sunshine and warmth created a surface crust on the sunny slopes. We found 5 to 10 cm of new snow in areas protected from the wind to the east. This rests on a rain crust that supports the weight of a skier. Skiing is at its best on gentle, protected slopes below the treeline.

Strong to extreme winds from the south-west and then the west greatly affected the alpine and the tree line. Many slopes are bare of snow.

The middle of the snowpack is well consolidated, resting on a combo of facetted grains and crusts.

Weather Summary

Synopsis: Mild temperatures for the next few days.

Saturday evening and night: Cloudy. Wind southwest, 30-50 km/h. Low -2. Freezing level at 300 m.

Sunday: Mostly cloudy. Wind northwest, 10 to 20 km/h. Maximum +1. Freezing level at 750 m.

Monday: Sunny. Wind southwest, 15 to 30 km/h. Maximum -1. Freezing level at 600 m.

Tuesday: Alternating sun and clouds. Wind southwest 20 to 40 km. High +4. Freezing level at 2500 m.

For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.

Terrain and Travel Advice

  • Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
  • Wind slabs may be poorly bonded to the underlying crust.
  • Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.

Problems

Wind Slabs

An icon showing Wind Slabs

Although much of the new snow was sublimated by the strong to extreme wind in the alpine, isolated pockets of reactive wind slabs can be found particularly under terrain breaks and in laterally loaded areas.

Aspects: North East, East, South East.

Elevations: Alpine.

Likelihood

Unlikely - Possible

Expected Size

1 - 2

Valid until: Mar 3rd, 2024 3:00PM

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