South Columbia

Conditions will be tricky to manage this weekend, as a touchy surface hoar layer is buried only on some slopes and not others. Make constant snowpack assessments as you travel and take a cautious approach to terrain selection.

Fair - Due to variable snowpack conditions

Saturday: Light W wind. Alpine temperature near -14. No snow.Sunday: Light N wind. Alpine temperature near -15. No snow.Monday: Light NW wind. Alpine temperature near -8. Light snow.

A natural cycle of size 1-3 storm slabs occurred over the last few days. Skiers also several avalanches up to size 2, failing on buried surface hoar or facets. We are now moving into a period when natural activity is likely to decrease, but human-triggering will remain a concern.

50-90 cm of recent snow is settling into slabs above old snow surfaces including surface hoar (found especially at and below treeline in sheltered areas), a sun crust (on steep S to SW-facing slopes) and facets. The distribution of buried surface hoar is patchy, but where it does exist, it is touchy, with widespread propagation and remote-triggering occurring. Recent winds have left wind slabs in the lee of terrain breaks such as ridges and ribs at alpine and treeline elevations. In areas sheltered from the wind, fast-moving sluff could throw you off your feet or carry you into a terrain trap. A strong mid-pack overlies a weak facet/crust layer near the base of the snowpack, which is now considered inactive.