The wind continues to redistribute recent new snow at upper elevations. High up on north aspects the snow remains dry. Keep an eye on steep slopes facing the sun as we get more sustained sunshine and rising freezing levels over the next few days.
Recent snow may still be reactive to riders, particularly on steep wind affected slopes. Carefully assess for wind slabs prior to committing to steep features with high consequence.
THURSDAY Night: Cloudy with clear periods and isolated flurries, light to moderate northwest wind, treeline temperatures around -5 C, freezing level at valley bottom.
FRIDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light to moderate northwest and west wind, treeline temperatures -1 C, freezing level 1700 m.
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light southwest wind, treeline temperature 0 C, freezing level 1900 m.
SUNDAY: Cloudy with flurries in the afternoon, moderate southwest wind, treeline temperatures around -2 C, freezing level 1600 m.
Looking forward, wind slabs could still be triggered at higher elevations. Keep your eye out for the sun, as sun-exposed slopes could rapidly deteriorate when the sun pokes through the clouds.
Many small to large wind slabs were triggered naturally, by explosives, and by riders on Tuesday. They generally occurred at treeline and alpine elevations and were 10 to 30 cm deep, within the recent storm snow.
Around 5 to 15 cm of snow accumulated on Tuesday and Wednesday, which overlies a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects, perhaps small surface hoar crystals on shaded aspects, and otherwise 20 cm of snow from the weekend. This recent snow has generally been stabilizing, but there could be some wind slabs that linger at higher elevations. All of this recent snow sits above a widespread crust, with the exception of high north-facing terrain.
