Avalanche Forecast

Moderate - Due to the number of field observations

Synopsis: A ridge of high pressure should maintain dry conditions for the next couple days. Expect a mix of sun and cloud with the freezing level at valley bottom. Ridge winds are generally light. A weak system on Tuesday could bring more cloud, light snow, and rising freezing levels.

On Friday, a large natural avalanche cycle to size 3.5 was reported by one operator near Valemount. Another observer just NW of Blue River reported an impressive natural avalanche cycle at and below treeline with numerous slabs up to 60 cm deep. The story may have been the same for other parts of the region.

Heavy new snow and strong winds have created storm slabs in many places and wind slabs on features lee to the south. This will also add load and stress to the already volatile persistent slab. There are a couple of highly reactive layers of surface hoar buried in the upper snowpack, which have been responsible for recent avalanches. The mid and lower snowpack are generally strong, with any weak layers considered dormant for now. Snowpack depths are variable and shallow snowpack areas may have weak facetted crystals near the ground.