Avalanche Forecast

On Sunday, a natural cornice fall triggered a large wind slab avalanche on a south-facing alpine slope. The slab failed on a buried crust, highlighting that while a significant load may be required to trigger avalanches, the potential for large avalanches remains.

Looking ahead, new snow is expected to be particularly unstable as it accumulates on a variety of weak layers in the upper snowpack. This could significantly increase avalanche activity.

The new snow overlies a widespread surface hoar layer that formed over the past week, particularly around treeline elevations and below. In sun-exposed terrain, surface hoar may rest atop a thin crust, while elsewhere it sits atop a mix of old wind-affected surfaces and weak, faceted snow.

A widespread crust with facets and/or surface hoar, buried in mid-January, is approximately 30 to 70 cm below the surface.

The mid and lower snowpack is well settled with no concerns currently.

Wednesday night

Cloudy with 15 to 25 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.

Friday

Mostly cloudy with 10 to 15 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature - 13 °C.

Saturday

Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Investigate the bond of the recent snow before committing to your line.
• Storm slabs in motion may step down to deeper layers resulting in large avalanches.
• Keep in mind a buried crust offers an excellent bed surface for avalanches.
• Be alert to conditions that change with elevation, aspect, and exposure to wind.