Fresh snow has fallen across the region, but be cautious of both new and old wind slabs, as well as loose dry avalanches out of steep rocky terrain.
Be mindful of newly formed windslabs from recent snow and wind. Older windslabs are also still present and could be sitting on a crust or facets, which may increase their potential for triggering.
Watch for dry loose avalanches out of steep rocky terrain. Ice climbers be aware of what is overhead, even a small sluff could knock you off.
Several size 1 loose dry avalanches out of steep rocky terrain were reported yesterday as the sun poked out. One of these pulling a windslab resulting in a sz 1.5.
Early season reports have been very limited. Please consider helping forecasters and your backcountry community by submitting your observations to the Mountain Information Network.
Up to 25 cm of recent storm snow has been redistributed by winds. This sits on old windslabs and a faceted midpack. There is a thin crust 20-30cm below the surface, as well as a notable 5-15 cm thick crust near the base of the snowpack, surrounded by facets above and below. Snow depth in the alpine is approximately 80 cm but varies greatly due to wind redistributing the snow. Snow amounts at treeline taper off quickly with elevation.
Sunday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries (trace amounts). High -9 °C with generally light ridge wind except for areas with strong gap winds that will weaken throughout the day. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Monday
Cloudy with sunny periods and isolated flurries (trace amounts). Low of -12 °C and a high of -8 °C with winds from the southwest 10-25 km/h. Freezing level at valley bottom.
