Well, it ain't as cold as Saskatchewan, so what's the big deal?!
Do be certain to have plenty of extra clothing layers in your pack. A broken piece of you or a snapped piece of gear could delay your return to warmth in the valley. Are you prepared?
Moderate Southerly winds came with the storm, and then switched to downflowing N/NE winds as the cold air moved in. Watch for windslabs in unusual places, and lower on the slope than what is typical. Windslabs may step down deeper on solar slopes with a buried crust.
Watch for increased sluffing in steep terrain, as faceting from cold temps continues to weaken the upper snowpack.
Natural activity during the cold snap has been limited to small loose/dry and isolated soft wind slabs in Rogers Pass.
A size 1.5 slab avalanche was observed Friday, from the South facing slope between Grizzly and Little Sifton.
Thurs morning, a natural size 3 slab avalanche ran full path in Crossover (Mt Macdonald), stopping in the creek at valley bottom.
Moderate winds (S/SW switching to N/NE) have redistributed 40-50cms of recent storm snow. This sits on: a sun crust on solar aspects; firm wind effect in the alpine; and soft facetted snow on sheltered N aspects.
Below 2100m there is a crust down 70-80cm (from Dec 5th/6th).
The Dec 1 surface hoar layer is down 90-120cm and is decomposing. However, it is still reactive in isolated snowpack tests.
Cold, clear, (thankfully) windless days. Temps will moderate by mid-week.
Tonight: Clear, Alp low -22°C, light E wind.
Mon: Mix of sun/cloud, Alp Low high -14°C, light SW wind.
Tues: Flurries (5-10cm), Alp high -13°C, light W wind.
Wed: Scattered flurries (5-10cm), Alp high -13°C, light E wind.
