Avalanche Forecast

No avalanches have been reported since last week. Please consider filling out a MIN report if you are out in the backcountry.

The Snow surface is highly variable. In the alpine steep south facing terrain has a sun crust and all other aspects are wind effected. At treeline a crust can likely be found on all aspects, on sheltered features large surface hoar could exist. This surface hoar will be something to keep in mind in the near future. below treeline the snowpack tapers off quickly.

Check out this MIN, it does a good job describing conditions.

Below the surface is 10 to 20 cm of faceted snow over a crust from mid November.

Above about 1600 m, snowpack height ranges from 50 to 100 cm, increasing with elevation.

Wednesday Night

Increasing cloud throughout the night, no new snow expected, southeast alpine wind 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -7°C.

Thursday

Mostly cloudy, trace amounts of new snow, westerly alpine wind 10 to 20 km/h, treeline temperature -6°C.

Friday

Cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow expected, southwest alpine wind increasing to 25 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -5°C.

Saturday

Cloudy with  10 cm of new snow expected by early morning, west alpine wind 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -3°C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Early season avalanches at any elevation have the potential to be particularly dangerous due to obstacles that are exposed or just below the surface.
• Travelling on skis is hazardous due to a very shallow mountain snowpack.
• Expect shallow snow cover that barely covers ground roughness.
• Avalanche danger is often elevated in alpine gullies where snow has accumulated.