Long Range Mountains

Wind slabs and cornices can still be triggered by riders.

Consider the terrain below you. If you triggered an avalanche, where would it carry you?

There have been several natural and rider-triggered wind slab avalanches and cornices on Thursday and Friday. They have been small (size 1), occurring in steep wind-loaded features.

Moderate

• We are uncertain due to a limited number of field observations.

There is around 20 to 40 cm of soft snow that has been redistributed into lee features by westerly winds.

The midpack is well settled and has no weak layers.

There is a thick, hard crust that makes up the bottom half of the snowpack. The snow above seems to be bonding well to this layer.

Total snowpack depth is around 100 to 250 cm. Although highly dependent on where the wind has blown the snow.

Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h northwest ridgetop wind, easing through the night. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

Saturday
Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.

Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.

Monday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 90 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.

More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.

• The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
• Pay attention to cornices and give them a wide berth when traveling on or below ridges.
• Approach lee and cross-loaded slopes with caution.
• Watch for areas of hard wind slab on alpine features.