Avalanche Forecast

Friday Night: Cloudy with clear periods. Light west and southwest wind wind. Alpine high temperature near -12.

Saturday: Increasing cloud through the day. Moderate southwest wind. Alpine high temperature near -8.

Sunday: Flurries, accumulation 2-5 cm. Moderate to strong southwest wind. Alpine temperature near -5.

Monday: Continued flurries. Light southwest wind. Alpine high temperature near -7.

With the highway closed through Thursday, we have no reports of avalanche activity from past several days. There were likely natural storm slab avalanches in the Whitepass area during an intense period of snowfall on Wednesday morning. 

Natural wind slabs around size 1-1.5 in lee and cross loaded terrainwere observed in Haines Pass on Wednesday and Thursday .

A dump of new snow midweek brought 30-40 cm to White Pass and 25-30 cm to the hardest hit zones at Haines Pass. The new snow arrived with moderate southwest wind, loading pockets of wind slab into lee terrain features at all elevations. 

There are no deeper concerns in the snowpack around White Pass. The terrain around the Tutshi Lake/Paddy Peak area should be assessed on a slope by slope basis, as lingering snowpack weaknesses may still exist. The Wheaton's shallower snowpack is dominated by hard wind slabs overlying sugary facets and depth hoar. It's an untrustworthy snowpack structure that requires conservative terrain selection and diligent travel habits.

• Watch for newly formed and reactive wind slabs as you transition into wind affected terrain.
• Minimize exposure to sun-exposed slopes when the solar radiation is strong.
• Extra caution is needed around cornices under the current conditions.