Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

FRIDAY NIGHT: Mostly cloudy with intermittent snowfall, freezing level below valley bottom.SATURDAY: Mostly cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation trace to 5 cm, light to moderate southwest winds, alpine temperature -6 C, freezing level below valley bottom.SUNDAY: Cloudy with light snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, light west winds, alpine temperature -9 C, freezing level below valley bottom.MONDAY: Partly cloudy, light to moderate west winds, alpine temperature -15 C, freezing level below valley bottom.

There have not been any recent reports of avalanche activity in the south of the region. There were reports of large avalanches in the north of the region, which released during the storm from Monday to Wednesday.We often have a hard time getting reports of avalanche activity from this region, so if you see anything, please post your observations to the Mountain Information Network! (MIN). Thanks!

Strong and variable winds have produced variable surfaces at treeline and alpine elevations. Expect to find wind-scoured surfaces as well as wind slabs in lee terrain features. Below treeline, expect to find a melt-freeze crust near the snow surface.Buried under recent storm snow, you may find a few weak layers in sheltered areas comprising of feathery surface hoar crystals and/or sugary faceted snow. The upper layer was buried around December 31 and is about 20 cm deep. The next layer may have been buried around December 22 and is likely 30-50 cm deep. The lower one was buried in early-December and is now approximately 80-120 cm deep. The bottom 30 to 50 cm of the snowpack consists of weak and sugary faceted grains and crusts, particularly in areas where the snowpack is thin. It is possible that shallower avalanches could scrub down to ground in these thin snowpack areas, due to this weak layer at the base of the snowpack.