Watch for conditions to change dramatically with aspect and elevation.
Be cautious around upper elevations, where any dry snow may be affected by westerly winds.
The snowpack needs time to adjust after a period of rapid change. Be cautious of areas where wind has affected any remaining dry snow.
A natural avalanche cycle occurred between Monday and Wednesday. Avalanches have been observed on all aspects up to size 3.5. These vary from wet slab and wet loose avalanches at lower elevations, to storm and wind slabs in the alpine.
Looking forward, we expect natural and human-triggered avalanches to become less likely as the temperatures drop.
Recent snowfall amounts throughout the region have been variable; up to 25 to 50 cm of settling storm snow has been redistributed onto north and east aspects in the alpine. Recent rains have saturated the upper snowpack at and below treeline, with moist surface snow extending to around 2200 m.
Now that temperatures are dropping, expect to find a surface crust everywhere but the high alpine.
A thick crust buried earlier in March can be found down 50 to 80 cm at treeline and below.
Two more crusts, with facets above them, can be found down 70 to 150 cm.
The remainder of the snowpack is well settled and bonded.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Monday
Mostly sunny. 1 to 3 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
