Avalanche Forecast

Fair - Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather is uncertain on Thursday

Thursday: Light SW winds. Alpine temp -7. Light snow(around 10 cm). Friday: Moderate SW winds. Alpine temp around -6. Moderate snow.Saturday: Light to moderate SW winds. Freezing level at valley bottom. Very light snow.

A skier triggered a small hard wind slab on a steep north-facing roll near treeline on Tuesday. Natural size 1-2 avalanches were failing in response to outflow wind-loading over the past few days.

Wind slabs and cornices have developed on a fairly widespread basis and may be found on many slopes due to variable wind directions. Some alpine slopes are heavily scoured. Surface faceting is likely to continue while the weather remains cold. A layer of surface hoar buried in the upper metre of the pack has been observed in the Shames backcountry. The mid-pack is generally well settled. Near the base of the snowpack, a crust/facet layer has recently given hard, sudden results in snowpack tests. This weakness is unlikely to be triggered by a single person, but it remains possible with a very heavy load (e.g. cornice fall) or from a thin-spot trigger point.