Avalanche Forecast

Monday Night: Snow amounts 5-10 cm with 50-80 km/hr ridgetop wind from the South. Alpine temperatures near -1 and freezing levels 1300 m.

Tuesday: Snow 5-15 cm. Strong and gusty southwest wind. Alpine temperatures near -1 and freezing levels 1400 m.

Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. Alpine temperatures -6 and freezing levels at the valley bottom. Ridgetop wind 45 km/hr from the West.

On Sunday, reports of size 1-1.5 wind slabs were triggered by explosives. No natural avalanches were reported.

Several loose dry avalanches up to size 2 were reported in steep alpine and treeline terrain on the weekend. 

With the forecast snow and strong wind, the persistent slab may reach the threshold and become reactive, especially to skier and rider triggers.

20-30 cm of recent snow buried surface hoar and old surfaces. On steep solar aspects a sun crust can be found underneath the new snow. In the alpine and upper treeline, the new snow sits on top of layers of hard wind slab, scoured areas, sastrugi and isolated pockets of soft snow. A hard thick crust is found up to 1900 m. 

A solid mid-pack sits above deeply buried decomposing crust and facet layers near the bottom of the snowpack (100-150 cm deep). Avalanche activity on these layers has been sporadic and mostly triggered by large loads such as wind slab avalanches and cornice falls. Though unreactive under the current conditions, steep rocky slopes and shallow snowpacks should still be carefully assessed and approached with caution.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Watch for signs of instability like whumpfing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks or recent avalanches.
• Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
• Avoid terrain traps where the consequence of any avalanche could be serious.