Avalanche Forecast
Avalanche Bulletin - Glacier National Park
Heads up! Artillery fire is planned for the day. Due to recent construction, new artillery targets need to be sighted in. As always, check to make sure the area you want to ski / ride are open.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for whumpfing, hollow sounds, and shooting cracks.
- Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.
Avalanche Problem 2: Cornices
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Cornices have been failing over the past week, cold temperatures and solar input are contributing to these failures with brittle fractures of the snow as temperatures fluctuate.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Cornices become weak with daytime heating.
- Avoid travel on slopes that are exposed to cornices overhead.
Avalanche Problem 3: Persistent Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Persistent weak layers continue to linger and are most likely triggered in steep, shallow, rocky, unsupported terrain features. Large triggers such as cornice fall may also wake up these deeper weak layers resulting in large avalanches.
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Avoid thin, rocky or unsupported slopes.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed in the past two days.
Skier controlled size 2.5 wind slab on Mt. Sifton and several skier controlled size 1.0 loose dry sluffs in the Hermit slide path several days ago.
Several cornice failures earlier this week up to size 2.5.
Snowpack Summary
Cold temps promoting facetting of the upper snowpack. Previous strong northerly winds have formed reverse loaded cornices. Windslab can be expected in the alpine and exposed areas well into treeline. On solar aspects, a crust is buried 40cm. Persistent weak layers from January and December are now buried 150-200cm.
Weather Forecast
A stellar day to be in the alpine, mainly sunny skies with periods of clouds rolling through with a chance of isolated convective flurries throughout the day. Temps ranging from -11 to -19 with light ridgetop winds. Temps gradually warming and the first amount of significant snow will arrive over the weekend.
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Previous strong northerly winds have formed reverse loaded windslab at and above treeline. Windslab avalanches up to size 2.5 have been triggered by skiers or failing naturally over the past week.