Avalanche Forecast

On Saturday, skiers reported whumpfing and cracking (which are signs of an unstable snowpack) in the Mt. Cokely area.

On Thursday, a small (size 1) remote-triggered avalanche was reported on a north aspect at treeline. A few larger but older avalanches were also described. See the MIN report here.

If you are heading into the backcountry, consider posting a MIN.

15 to 30 cm of new snow is covering a variety of surfaces including old wind-affected snow, facets or surface hoar in sheltered areas, or a hard crust on sunny slopes. At upper elevations, moderate southwesterly winds may be blowing the storm snow into fresh wind slabs on lee slopes. A widespread crust, sometimes accompanied by a thin layer of weak facets, is buried 30 to 70 cm beneath predominantly low-density snow. There is some concern for storm slabs potentially stepping down to this weak layer. Otherwise, the mid and lower snowpack contains no other layers of concern.

Sunday Night

Cloudy with 0 to 7 cm of snow. 25 to 35 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level around 1000 m.

Monday

Cloudy with 0 to 2 cm of snow / light rain. 5 to 10 km/h variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level rising to 1400 m.

Tuesday

Cloudy with 0 to 4 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level around 1100 m.

Wednesday

Cloudy with 15 to 30 cm of snow. 70 to 80 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level around 1300 m

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Keep your guard up as storm slabs may remain sensitive to human triggering.
• Back off if you encounter whumpfing, hollow sounds, or shooting cracks.
• Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.