If you're looking for powder snow, look for wind protected areas!
In the alpine and at treeline, windy slabs are present. Pay particular attention to start zones and cross loaded features.
Older wind slabs (24-48h) still need time to stabilize, and small pockets may have been formed by gusts of wind in isolated areas. In some areas, these rest on top of a layer of lower density, increasing their reactivity.
Several natural avalanches up to size 2 have been observed in the Alpine on the east and south aspects over the past 24-48 hours.
If you are out in the backcountry, please share your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
In the alpine and on exposed features at treeline, we find a variety of wind-affected surfaces (sastrugis, crust, hard slabs, etc.). On the NE to S sides, the upper snowpack consists of wind slabs of varied densities.
In areas sheltered from the wind and below the treeline, 25 to 40 cm of low-density snow lies on top of a well-consolidated mid-snowpack.
In general, cold temperatures continue to promote the formation of facets across the snowpack. Depending on the location, there's between 90 and 140 cm on the ground.
WEATHER FOR THE CHIC-CHOCS RIDGES AND SUMMITS
The high pressure ridge brings a relatively stable situation and temperatures that remain cold.
Sunday evening and night: Cloudy. Trace of snow. Northwest winds from 20 to 25 km/h. -23C.
Monday: Alternating sun and clouds. Trace of snow. Northwest winds from 25 to 30 km/h. -17C.
Tuesday: Alternating sun and clouds. Trace of snow. Northwest winds from 35 to 40 km/h. -22C.
Wednesday: Cloudy. Northwest winds from 30 to 35 km/h. -18C.
For more details, see the Chic-Chocs alpine weather forecast.
