Avalanche Forecast

High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern; little change is expected for several days.

SUNDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, light northwest wind, alpine temperatures drop to -12 C.

MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light northwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.

TUESDAY: Mostly sunny, light wind from the northwest, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.

WEDNESDAY: Sunny, light northwest wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.

Reports from Sunday were limited to a few small (size 1) wind slab and dry loose avalanches, and a few small cornice falls. Large sporadic avalanches have been reported every few days over the past weeks. Most recently a size 2.5 deep persistent slab avalanche was observed in steep rocky alpine terrain on a southwest slope near Golden on Thursday (see MIN report) and a large snowmobile triggered avalanche was reported on a convex roll at treeline at Quartz Creek on Wednesday (see MIN report). These isolated large avalanches highlight the importance of careful snowpack and terrain evaluation in the Purcells.

10-20 cm of fresh snow and a total of 30-60 cm of snow from the past two weeks sits on the surface. This snow has shown some reactivity at higher elevations where it has been redistributed it into wind slabs. Sun crusts can be found near the surface on steep south-facing slopes and a hard rain crust can be felt beneath the snow at below treeline elevations. The middle of the snowpack is generally settled but the base of the snowpack contains basal facets. It remains possible to trigger these deep weak layers in shallow rocky start zones or from a heavy trigger such as a cornice fall. 

• Avoid shallow, rocky areas where the snowpack transitions from thick to thin.
• Be careful with wind slabs, especially in steep, unsupported and/or convex terrain features.
• Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.