Forecast reflects the highest hazard of the day, most often by early afternoon. New snow amounts vary through the forecast area!
Weather Forecast
Weather models still suggest that Monday evening could bring 10-20cm of snow and showers below 2200m. Short intense storms continue to move through the forecast area. Broken skies and light southerly winds for the day Tuesday, clearing overnight and into Wednesday.
Snowpack Summary
Recent HST has improved skiing significantly. New snow expected overnight Monday, variable amounts up to 15cm forecast for some locations. Spring continues to penetrate deeper into the upper snowpack, which is often saturated by the late afternoon. The solid mid-pack bridges the weak base. The bottom snowpack is mixed facets and depth hoar.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches noted or reported.
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain on Tuesday
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.
Cornices
Cornice Fall is the release of an overhanging mass of snow that forms as the wind moves snow over a sharp terrain feature, such as a ridge, and deposits snow on the downwind (leeward) side. Cornices range in size from small wind drifts of soft snow to large overhangs of hard snow that are 30 feet (10 meters) or taller. They can break off the terrain suddenly and pull back onto the ridge top and catch people by surprise even on the flat ground above the slope. Even small cornices can have enough mass to be destructive and deadly. Cornice Fall can entrain loose surface snow or trigger slab avalanches.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.