Date issued

Apr 4, 2018 - 3:00 PM

Valid until

Apr 5, 2018 - 2:00 PM

Prepared by

mike.koppang

Light flurries are forecast for thursday before a largre pulse of snow arrives on the weekend.  Use caution in lee features in alpine terrain.

Regular season
Thursday - April 5, 2018
Alpine

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Below Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Friday - April 6, 2018
Alpine

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Below Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Saturday - April 7, 2018
Alpine

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Treeline

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

Below Treeline

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs

What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?

Watch for both surface and near-surface wind slabs in Alpine terrain. In some cases the buried slabs are well disguised by the low density surface snow. These slabs were formed during a switch from NW wind to SW, so they do exist on multiple aspects.

Travel and Terrain Advice
  • Evaluate unsupported slopes critically.
  • Be careful with wind loaded pockets, especially near ridge crests and roll-overs.

Avalanche Problem 2: Persistent Slabs

What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?

The March 15th melt-freeze crust, buried 30-50cm on solar aspects, could be an issue on bigger slopes, particularly in the Alpine. Evaluate the snowpack for the presence/absence of this problem layer before committing to a terrain feature.

Travel and Terrain Advice
  • Avoid steep Southerly aspects.

Avalanche Summary

No new avalanches were observed over the past 48hrs.

Snowpack Summary

Windslabs are being found in Alpine areas along ridgelines and cross loaded features. We are certainly avoiding steeper unsupported features such as above cliff walls and convex rolls that are near the entrances to some runs and terrain features. On solar aspects the march 15th crust is down 40-60cm and the bond on this crust has been variable. Did down and check this interface if you plan on moving onto more solar aspects. The skiing is likely not great on these aspects due to the presence of thin surface crusts.

Weather Forecast

Mainly cloudy skies with isolated flurries is forecast for thursday with temperatures in the -10C to -12C range.  Winds are forecast to be light out of the east.

Danger Ratings Explained

1 - Low

Generally safe avalanche conditions. Watch for unstable snow on isolated terrain features.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches unlikely.

Small avalanches in isolated areas or extreme terrain.

2 - Moderate

Heightened avalanche conditions on specific terrain features. Evaluate snow and terrain carefully; identify features of concern.

Natural avalanches unlikely; human-triggered avalanches possible.

Small avalanches in specific areas; or large avalanches in isolated areas.

3 - Considerable

Dangerous avalanche conditions. Careful snowpack evaluation, cautious route-finding and conservative decision-making essential.

Natural avalanches possible; human-triggered avalanches likely.

Small avalanches in many areas; or large avalanches in specific areas; or very large avalanches in isolated areas.

4 - High

Very dangerous avalanche conditions. Travel in avalanche terrain not recommended.

Natural avalanches likely; human-triggered avalanches very likely.

Large avalanches in many areas; or very large avalanches in specific areas.

5 - Extreme

Avoid all avalanche terrain.

Natural and human-triggered avalanches certain.

Large to very large avalanches in many areas.

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