Avalanche Forecast

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Saturday night: no new snow expected and a low of -25 at 900m. Moderate to strong outflow winds at all elevations.

Sunday: sunny with no new snow expected. Winds will be moderate to strong outflow at all elevations. High of -25 at 900m.

Monday: light snow in the morning with moderate north winds in the alpine. high of -20 at 900m.

Tuesday: some light flurries possible with moderate north winds. High of -16 at 900m.

Loose dry avalanches up to size 1.5 in steep terrain continue to be reported in the region. Some wind slabs up to size 2 were observed on Friday on west aspects.

Moderate to strong outflow winds at all elevations have scoured east aspects and formed wind slab on west aspects.

A new surface hoar layer was buried on Tuesday, it is not a problem yet.

The December 18th surface hoar/facet layer is down 30cm, the surface hoar was observed up to 12mm in both the treeline and below . It is likely only a problem in isolated locations in the treeline where wind slab has formed above it.

The December 7 persistent weak layer is now typically down 100cm and has not produced avalanches in over a week.

Snowpack depths vary greatly across the region, expect to find anywhere from 100-300 cm of snow around treeline.

• Seek out sheltered terrain where new snow hasn't been wind-affected.
• Loose avalanches may start small but they can grow and push you into dangerous terrain.
• Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
• Avoid freshly wind loaded features, especially near ridge crests, roll-overs and in steep terrain.