Esplanade

Be especially cautious as you transition into wind-affected terrain.

Wind slabs may stay unstable longer than expected due to the underlying weak layer.

Moderate

• We are uncertain due to the variability of wind effect on the snowpack.

Natural avalanches occurred Saturday throughout the region, with numerous wind slabs (up to size 2.5) releasing from north to east alpine and treeline slopes. The failure plane was the late January surface hoar layer mentioned in the snowpack summary.

Riders were able to trigger small, loose avalanches on steep terrain at treeline in the Esplanades, where more accumulated snow had fallen.

10 to 20 cm of snow now overlies the late January surface hoar/crust layer. This snow has been accompanied by strong south and west wind, meaning that the crust is still on the surface on southerly aspects and deeper deposits will be found on north and east aspects.

The late January surface hoar layer is widespread up to 2100 meters on sheltered treeline and below treeline features. It may not exist on exposed terrain in the alpine.

The snow surface could be moist or refrozen on steep south aspects due to solar input.

Sunday Night
Cloudy. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1600 m.

Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Wednesday
Mostly sunny. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature +2 °C. Freezing level 2600 m.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• Be careful with wind-loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and rollovers.
• Look for signs of instability: whumphing, hollow sounds, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
• Be aware of the potential for loose avalanches in steep terrain where snow hasn't formed a slab.