Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

THURSDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries bringing trace accumulations throughout the day with 3-5 cm overnight, light southwesterly winds, alpine temperature around -10.FRIDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries bringing trace amounts of fresh snow, light southerly winds, alpine temperature around -10.SATURDAY: Cloudy with isolated flurries and trace amounts of fresh snow, light southeasterly winds, alpine temperature around -10.

No new avalanches have been reported. Lingering wind slabs may remain reactive to human triggering on specific features, such as the immediately lee of ridges and sun-exposed slopes.

Surface hoar is growing and the upper snowpack is faceting. In exposed areas at all elevations, recent winds have resulted in scouring, hard wind slabs, and thicker reactive wind slabs in unusual places as the winds shifted from west to northeast. Continued moderate to strong northerly winds have been keeping wind slabs fresh and touchy in some areas and sun-exposure is likely making the wind slabs extra touchy on south-facing slopes. Facets and/or surface hoar buried mid-December recently gave moderate but broken snowpack test results where it was found down a metre or more. In a shallow snowpack area, recent snowpack tests gave moderate sudden collapse results on this persistent weakness. This suggests that the primary concern for persistent slab avalanches is in shallow snowpack areas; however, the potential for step-down avalanches remains where it is deeper. The lower snowpack is well bonded and features a thick rain crust near the ground.