Avalanche Forecast

Archived

Mar 25th, 2024–Mar 26th, 2024

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Alpine

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely, human triggered possible.

Below Treeline

Natural avalanches unlikely.

Regions

Glacier.

A deep persistent weak layer remains in the snowpack, avoid thin rocky areas where triggering this layer will be more likely.

Prepare for challenging travel on a thick crust.

Confidence

High

Avalanche Summary

On Sunday a size 1 wind slab was reported near the summit of Mt Rogers. No other avalanches have been observed or reported in the Park for several days.

Snowpack Summary

Expect a robust surface crust on all aspects below 1700m making for difficult travel. Above this elevation north facing slopes still hold up to 15cm of dry snow. A weak layer formed on March 9th is down ~30cm and the Feb 3rd persistent weak layer remains a concern at 80-140cm deep. The lower snowpack is well settled and strong.

Weather Summary

An unsettled atmosphere will bring periods of light precipitation over the next few days and light to moderate winds.

Tues: Cloudy, possible flurries late in the day, alpine low -10 °C, light W winds, FZL 1600m.

Wed: Sun and cloud with flurries - trace of new snow, alpine low -11 °C moderate S winds, FZL 1600m.

Thurs: Cloudy with snow up to 7cm, alpine low -7 °C, light winds, FZL 1900m.

Terrain and Travel Advice

When a thick, melt-freeze surface crust is present, avalanche activity is unlikely.
Conditions may have improved, but be mindful that deep instabilities are still present.
Remember that the snowpack will be significantly different at higher elevations than lower down.

Problems

Persistent Slabs

Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.