Recent avalanche activity indicates an unstable snowpack & remote-triggering remains a serious concern.
Stick to conservative terrain and practice good travel habits.
Weak layers formed in February and January persist within the upper 90 cm of the snowpack. The more the snowpack warms up and weakens over these layers, the more conservative your terrain selection should be.
In the past week, several natural and rider-triggered wind slab and persistent slab avalanches have been reported, up to size 2.5. These avalanches have mainly occurred in north-to-east facing alpine and treeline terrain.
Similar activity is expected on Sunday with continued warm temperatures and precipitation.
Read more in our Forecasters' Blog.
10 to 20 cm of recent snowfall has been redistributed by strong southwest alpine winds building stiff wind slabs in the alpine and treeline. The new snow was wet or fell as rain in many areas, creating a moist surface or crust.
Below the new snow, 20 to 50 cm of settling storm snow from earlier in the week is sitting on a weak layer of surface hoar or facets in many areas. Additional persistent weak layers are buried between 60 to 90 cm. These consist of more surface hoar and faceted grains, and/or a hard crust. These persistent layers continue to be a source of concern and have the potential for large step-down avalanches.
Saturday Night
A mix of sun and cloud. 15 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 10 to 30 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 hm/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
Tuesday
A mix of sun and cloud. 10 to 30 hm/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level rising to 1500 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
