Avalanche Forecast

We could see a variety of avalanche problems resurface during spring weather. Milder weather and periods of sun or rain promote wet loose or slab avalanches. Snow near the mountain tops could form storm slabs or wind slabs in lee terrain features. Cornices are large and looming and are more prone to fail which each day of relatively mild weather. The likelihood of triggering buried weak layers also increases in the spring, as the snowpack progressively warms up.

Storm or wind slabs may linger in the high alpine, particularly where they sit on a hard melt-freeze crust. The crust is likely at the surface at low alpine and treeline elevations. The snow surface may moisten during daytime warming, particularly on sun-exposed slopes.

A weak layer of facets and potentially a melt-freeze crust from early January is between 100 and 200 cm deep in most areas.

Weak faceted grains may exist near the base of the snowpack, particularly in shallower snowpack areas.

Cornices are very large and looming along alpine ridges.

Friday's freezing level rises to 2000 m with increasing clouds and late afternoon and overnight rain. Saturday's freezing level declines to 1500 m with clearing skies. Sunday is cloudy with light rain or snow and a freezing level near 1500 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Continue to make conservative terrain choices while the storm snow settles and stabilizes.
• Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
• Avoid thin areas like rock outcroppings where you're most likely to trigger avalanches failing on deep weak layers.
• Use extra caution around cornices: they are large, fragile, and can trigger slabs on slopes below.
• Minimize exposure to overhead avalanche terrain, large avalanches may reach the end of runout zones.
• Avoid steep slopes when air temperatures are warm, it is raining, or solar radiation is strong.