For the best riding seek out sheltered slopes with the deepest snow that hasn't been wind-affected. Careful with early season hazards!
Watch for pockets of cohesive wind slabs on the lee side of ridges or ribs. However, with the sugary-faceted-weak snowpack avalanches could step down to the middle of the snowpack.
No new avalanche reports. Keep sharing your observations via the MIN; it helps strengthen our information gathering.
In deeper zones at 1900 m the snowpack is around 100-130 cm, which is low for middle of December, and it has a weak structure.
Surface: Boot top powder in deep areas. Same old crusts, facets, and rocks on wind scoured slopes. Wind slab pockets lee of ridges.Upper-pack: Below the fresh snow is well developed surface hoar in sheltered areas. The uppper part of the snow pack is generally low density and faceting (aka weak).Mid-pack: maybe a crust or two, with a layer of soft facets above. This is likely the primary weak layer.Lower-pack: facets and depth hoar (aka not strong).
Saturday NightCooling temperatures with freezing level falling from 900m to around 500m. Dry. South or SW wind moderate but diminishing.
SundayDry. Temps between -5 and close to 0 C. Freezing level around 500 m. Light wind. Mostly cloudy.
MondayDry. Cooler with temps between -5 to -10 C and freezing level to valley bottom. Northerly light wind with outflow from the interior through the passes and in the major valleys. Mix of sun and cloud but generally clearing.
TuesdaySimilar to Monday but more sun and less cloud.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
