Storms with a Southern circulation and extreme winds like this one generally leave a highly variable snowpack.
A localized assessment of conditions is important before committing to an engaging line.
Strong to extreme winds will carry snow, and heavy accumulations could be found in start zones, cross-loaded zones, depressions and the top of convexities.
No new avalanche was reported or observed. If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations at [email protected] or on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
The distribution of the snowpack is highly variable. Alpine, treeline and wind-exposed features are back to the crust. Depressions, gullies and the top of couloirs, however, can have considerably greater snow depths.
Below the tree line, the west to north aspects have larger, but very dense, accumulations resting on facets over the New Year's Day crust. The North-East to South slopes are showing 15 to 30 cm of very dense snow over the ground, which makes skiing possible. Keep in mind that the natural obstacles remain very close, however.
Synopsis: The storm will persist overnight, accompanied by extreme wind. Several small accumulations are expected later during the week.
Saturday evening and night: Cloudy. 10-15 cm of snow, an inversion could bring some freezing rain. Southeast winds up to 140 km/h. Low. -2C. Freezing level rising up to 750m.
Sunday: Cloudy. 1-2 cm of snow. Southwest winds from 55 to 65 km/h. Max -13C.
Monday: Alternating sun and cloud. 1-2 cm of snow. Southwest winds from 40-45 km/h. Max. -20C.
Tuesday: Alternating sun and cloud. 2-3 cm of snow. Southeast winds around 40 km/h. Max -16C.
For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.
