Tuesday is a day to avoid steep alpine gullies where the new snow and wind will combine to create loose dry avalanches and small wind slabs that could funnel onto climbers or skiers. Things improve Wednesday with cooler temperatures and light winds.
Strong winds and the forecast new snow will create pockets of wind slab in the alpine and possibly into treeline, and bury some small older wind slabs. Watch for wind affected areas in steep terrain while climbing or skiing.
Ice climbers should be aware of the potential for loose snow avalanches in steep gullies on Tuesday as new snow and strong winds provide rapid loading in steep alpine terrain.
A cold front moving through the region on Tuesday may result in as much as 10-15 cm of new snow by Tuesday night. Temperatures will start falling throughout the day to reach the -10 to -15 'C range by the end of the day, and winds will start out strong and gusty from the West and diminish through the afternoon.
2-5 cm of new snow on Monday with gusty alpine winds and warm temperatures. Moist snow below 2300 m. Treeline snow depths range from 30-50 cm with up to 80 cm in the lee features. In general the snowpack is still thin, weak and highly variable in depth. An October crust has been providing support to help ski travel. Limited snow below treeline.
A couple large dry loose avalanches/sluffs up to size 1.5 were observed Monday in steep alpine gullies near Bow Lake. One small natural wind slab observed in alpine terrain near Bow Summit.
