Avalanche danger likely varies with elevation. Cornices will be in play for a while yet. This will be our last avalanche forecast for the season. Thank-you Yukoners.
Cornices are large at this time of season. Best practice is to stay well-back from them on ridgelines and limit your exposure travelling beneath them.
Assess for the wetness of the snow surface as you travel, particularly as you transition from alpine to treeline elevations later in the day. Use caution in very steep terrain if the snow surface is wet, and limit your overhead exposure on steep slopes.
SATURDAY NIGHT: alpine -1C, wind south 20km/h, cloudy, 3cm new snow in the alpine with rain at the highway
SUNDAY: alpine -1C, wind south 20km/h, cloudy, 2cm new snow in the alpine with rain at the highway
MONDAY: alpine -2C, wind south 25km/h, cloudy, 2cm new snow with rain at the highway
No new avalanches have been reported by the public or our field team this week.
We have received regular small inputs of snow in the alpine above 1600m this week. Some of this snow has likely been blown into wind slabs in specific terrain features such as directly behind ridge line or in more extreme terrain. Below 1600m the upper snowpack is isothermal, moist, and mushy.
The lower snowpack in White Pass is deep for this time of year with no layers of concern. Areas further inland, such as the Wheaton Valley, may have a shallower and weaker snowpack.
Cornices are still very large. Recent cool temperatures have kept cornice failures to a minimum but they should always be treated with respect in the spring, especially when the air temperature rises.
