Avalanche Forecast
South Rockies
New snow and strong westerly winds are building thicker and reactive wind slabs on leeward aspects. If the sun pokes out it may initiate a natural avalanche cycle win the recent storm snow.
Avalanche Problem 1: Wind Slabs
What Elevation?
Which Slopes?
Chances of Avalanches?
Expected Size?
Travel and Terrain Advice
- Watch for signs of instability such as whumpfing, or cracking.
- Use caution in lee areas in the alpine and tree line.
- Avoid large slopes with thin-thick snow coverage and convex features.
Avalanche Summary
With 20 cm of new snow overnight and a bunch of wind I suspect there may have been a widespread natural storm, wind slab and loose dry avalanche cycle on Saturday.
Periods of sunshine forecast for Sunday could trigger a round of natural slab avalanches and loose dry/wet avalanches.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 35 cm of new snow, accompanied by strong easterly winds in the beginning of the storm and now switching to the southwest are forming wind slabs on a variety of aspects. Forecast snow for Saturday will add to these totals and may initially have a poor bond to the underlying old snow surfaces which consist of crusts up to 2100 m and dry snow or surface hoar on north aspects above 2100 m. Snowpack testing on the March 15th surface hoar interface (down 20-40 cm on sheltered North aspects) has shown no significant results in the Barnes area. The mid-pack is is well consolidated.
Deeper in the snowpack (50-80 cm down) a surface hoar buried mid-February may exist. This interface is dormant.
Digging towards the bottom of the snowpack you'll find a combination of crusts and facets that are reportedly widespread.
Weather Forecast
Sunday: Mix of sun and cloud with snow amounts 2-5 cm. Ridgetop wind strong from the West. Alpine temperatures near -7 and freezing levels 900 m.
Monday: Mostly cloudy and snow 2-5 cm. Ridgetop winds strong from the southwest. Alpine temperatures near -2 and freezing levels 1200 m.
Tuesday: A mix of sun and cloud Ridgetop winds strong-extreme from the West. Freezing levels 1000 m.
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Changing winds from East to West continue to be strong, redistributing the new storm snow onto most aspects. Wind slabs will likely be reactive to skier/rider triggers. Loose dry avalanches may occur from steeper terrain features.