Avalanche Forecast

Several small natural slab avalanches were observed in steep terrain at treeline over the weekend.

If you are going out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).

By 4 pm on Tuesday an additional 35 cm of storm snow may have fallen. This will be accompanied by strong southeast winds forming deeper deposits on northerly aspects.

A prominent crust is down 50 to 80 cm at treeline. A layer of surface hoar may be found in sheltered areas at treeline at this depth but it’s distribution is uncertain.

Check out this MIN from Knucklheads

Snow depths at treeline vary significantly across the region, ranging from 65 cm to 200 cm and taper substantially at elevations below 1000 m.

Monday Night

Mix of cloud and clear skies with trace amounts of snow expected. 10 to 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 15 to 25 cm of snow expected. 40 to 70 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level rising throughout the day to 1800 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy in the morning and clearing late in the afternoon. Up to 70 cm mm of precipitation by early morning, snow at treeline and above with rain below. 50 km/h south ridgetop wind shifting to west by early morning and then easing throughout the day. Freezing level around 1800 m and falling throughout the day.

Thursday

Cloudy. 35 to 55 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Freezing level around 2300 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Watch for fresh storm slabs building throughout the day.
• As the storm slab problem worsens, the easy solution is to choose more conservative terrain.
• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind-affected terrain.