In the wake of the past storm, continue to give new snow time to settle and stabilize.
Seek simple terrain before easing into anything consequential.
Expect to find the touchiest deposits under ridgetop features or steep rolls. A spotty surface hoar layer is buried in sheltered terrain and in those areas is touchy to human triggering.
Storm slabs were reactive to skier traffic and explosive control around Whistler on Monday. Numerous large storm slabs (up to size 2) and one very large (size 3) were reported on all aspects in the alpine.
Up to 50 cm of new snow is found at treeline. Strong winds in alpine and tree line elevations has pressed and stripped the upper snowpack, whilst transporting snow to North through to East aspect terrain. This new snow overlies a variety of surfaces, including a crust on south-facing aspects, wind-affected snow on north-facing terrain above 2100 m, and surface hoar on isolated, sheltered features.
The mid-December crust is 100 to 200 cm deep and well-bonded to the snow above. Above 2200 m, this crust is absent and a layer of facets and a crust from November is found at the base of the snowpack. These layers are not currently a concern.
Tuesday Night
Cloudy. 3 to 10 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 800 m.
Wednesday
Cloudy. 5 to 20 cm of snow. 20 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level 600 m.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C. Freezing level 400 m.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 25 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 900 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
