West Slopes North

Unstable slabs of wind drifted snow may be found above treeline. You will be entering areas of greater avalanche danger where you observe enough new snow to smooth over old, rain affected snow surfaces. Watch out for cornices or other unstable snow features in steep or rocky terrain above you.

Heavy rain - over 2" at Heather Meadows - ended in the West North by midday Thursday with freezing levels expected to drop to nearly 2000’ overnight. No new avalanche activity was reported. 

Increasing sun in the afternoon will raise the possibility of loose wet avalanches on southerly slopes, especially above treeline where drier, newly fallen snow will be more susceptible to warming. Move to lower angle terrain if you witness signs of instability like rollerballs, a rapidly warming snow surface, or current avalanche activity. 

Another round of rain at lower elevations continues to weaken cornices and other overhead hazards clinging onto very steep and/or rocky terrain. Be aware of and minimize time spent below unstable features you identify in the terrain above.

In addition to limited avalanche hazards, expect challenging travel conditions on frozen, uneven surfaces. Steep tree covered terrain has been noted as particularly difficult to navigate. If you haven’t made it to the mountains since the rain and warm temperature regime took over 10 days ago, be prepared to see a very different environment. Exposed rock, glide cracks, open creeks and a very rough snow surface are everywhere and present new features to steer around.