Avalanche Forecast
Regions: South Rockies.
Keep in mind that isolated reactive wind slabs, loose snow avalanches (sluffs) in steep or extreme terrain, weird snow in shallow rocky steeps or cornice collapses are ever present mountain hazards in the Rockies.
Confidence
High - Confidence is due to a stable weather pattern; little change is expected for several days.
Weather Forecast
SUNDAY NIGHT: Mainly cloudy skies with isolated flurries, trace new snow, light southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -12 C.
MONDAY: A mix of sun and clouds with isolated flurries, light and variable wind, treeline temperatures around -12 C.
TUESDAY: A mix of sun and clouds, light south wind, treeline temperatures around -13 C.
WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light to moderate southeast wind, treeline temperatures around -13 C.
Avalanche Summary
No recent avalanches have been reported aside from loose dry avalanches (sluffs) from steep alpine terrain. Cornices are growing fragile with continued cold conditions faceting their bonds.Â
Snowpack Summary
Alpine and upper treeline terrain remains heavily wind affected from last week's strong to extreme southwest winds with scouring, sastrugi, isolated pockets of soft snow and layers of hard wind slab. A hard thick crust is found below 1800 m. Surface hoar and near-surface faceting continues to slowly soften hard surfaces and weaken cornices.Â
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.
Terrain and Travel
- Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
- Small avalanches can have serious consequences in extreme terrain. Carefully evaluate your line for wind slab hazard before you commit to it.
- Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
Avalanche Problems
Wind Slabs
Although unlikely to trigger, hard wind slabs in the alpine have the potential to propagate widely. Additionally, cornices are growing fragile with continued cold temperatures. Cornice failures are a significant hazard on their own - but can also trigger stubborn wind slab avalanches if they fail.
Aspects: North, North East, East, South East, North West.
Elevations: Alpine.
Likelihood: Unlikely - Possible
Expected Size: 1 - 2