15-25 cm new snow and moderate south wind have formed fresh storm slabs that will likely be most reactive in wind affected terrain.
Use small low consequence slopes to test the bond of the new snow.
15-25 cm new snow and moderate south wind have formed fresh storm slabs that will likely be most reactive in wind affected terrain.
Expect natural wet loose avalanches on steep sunny aspects when the sun comes out.
A weak layer of facets exists near the base of the snowpack. The likelihood of human triggering is low given the layer's depth, but large triggers such as cornice failures or smaller avalanches in motion have the potential to produce very large avalanches with surprisingly wide propagation. Suspect terrain for human triggering includes steep, shallow, and rocky terrain where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick.
A rider triggered size 1 wind slab on a north aspect in the alpine was reported on Sunday.
15-25 cm new snow and moderate south wind have formed fresh storm slabs that will likely be most reactive in wind affected terrain.
Below the new snow are a variety of surfaces. These include surface hoar (3-10 mm) on shady slopes at all elevations, wind affected surfaces at treeline and above, and sun crust on sunny aspects.
The mid-snowpack is generally strong but the lower snowpack is a different story.
The November facets are still prominent at the base of the snowpack. They are showing signs of improving but this layer remains a significant concern in rocky, shallow, or thin to thick snowpack areas at treeline and above.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy with isolated flurries; 3-10 cm / 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind / Low temperature at treeline around -13 C / Freezing level valley bottom
Tuesday
Mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries; 0-3 cm / 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind / High temperature at treeline around -10 C / Freezing level 1000 m
Wednesday
Mix of sun and cloud / 30 km/h west ridgetop wind / High temperature at treeline around -9 C / Freezing level 1100 m
Thursday
Sunny / 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind / High temperature at treeline around -7 C / Freezing level 1400 m
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
