Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Recent weather patterns have resulted in a high degree of snowpack variability within the region. Uncertainty is due to how quickly the snowpack will recover and gain strength.

Bundle up in your warmest gear, arctic air is here! 

Sunday Overnight: Cloudy with light flurries, clearing into the morning. Light to moderate northerly winds. Alpine temperatures plummet to around -20 C.

Monday: Partially cloudy and cold. Light northerly winds. Alpine temperatures around -20 C.

Tuesday: Cold and clear. Light northerly winds. Alpine temperatures around -20 C.

Wednesday: Cloudy with light flurries. Light to moderate northwesterly winds. Alpine temperatures around -16 C.

In the north of the region, a natural cycle likely occurred during the peak of the storm on Saturday afternoon. Numerous human-triggered storm and wind slabs were reported throughout the day. In the south of the region, wind slabs were reactive to human triggering, with natural loose dry avalanches observed out of steep terrain in the alpine.

Explosive control last week initiated some larger persistent slabs up to size 3 on north-facing aspects at treeline.

This weekend's storm brought 20-70 cm of new snow, with up to 100 cm now overlying the old, hard surface. This surface is a result of a period of high pressure in mid-February. The layer is comprised of facetted snow, a melt-freeze crust at lower elevations, a sun-crust on steep solar aspects, and hard wind-affected snow in the alpine and exposed treeline. 

The mid-January surface hoar/crust layer is now down 50-150 cm in the snowpack. This layer has not been reactive to skier traffic in the past week and is showing limited reactivity in snowpack tests. Although unlikely, the layer could be triggered from a large load like a cornice fall or a shallower slab avalanche stepping down to this layer. 

The facet/crust layer that formed in early December is now buried around 150 to 250 cm. Human triggering of this layer is unlikely, except perhaps on a re-loaded bed surface or in a shallow snowpack area. This layer may become a concern during periods of warming or heavy loading. 

• Be especially cautious as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
• Shooting cracks, whumphs and recent avalanches are strong indicators of an unstable snowpack.
• Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
• Avoid exposure to overhead hazards when solar radiation is strong.