New snow and continuing southwest wind should resupply our wind slab problem for Friday. Monitor the depth and reactivity of new snow as you travel and increase caution around areas that are being actively wind loaded.
New snow amounts and consistently elevated winds are likely to form a fresh array of wind slabs to manage on Friday. Since accumulations are expected to be light, danger should be focused toward leeward features at ridgecrest that see the most pronounced wind loading.
Thursday night: Cloudy with flurries bringing 5-10 cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southwest winds.
Friday: Mainly cloudy with continuing light flurries and about 5 cm of new snow. Moderate west winds. Alpine high temperatures around -8.
Saturday: Cloudy with scattered flurries bringing a trace to 5 cm of new snow, increasing a bit overnight. Moderate southwest winds, becoming strong at ridgetop. Alpine high temperatures around -7.
Sunday: Cloudy Cloudy with easing flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow. Light west winds. Alpine high temperatures around -7.
New avalanche observations from Tuesday were limited to a few small (size 1) wind slabs able to be skier triggered in crossloaded gully features. Observations into the alpine were limited by poor visibility. Wednesday's reports showed a transition to small dry loose releases.
On Monday control work produced a cornice failure from a northeast facing ridge, a couple of size 2 wind slabs on a northwest facing feature at 2000 m and small stubborn wind slabs to size 1.
Last Saturday storm slab avalanches to size 2 were widespread as a result of more active weather. They ran naturally and were intentionally triggered by avalanche control work on all aspects.
15 to 25 cm of storm snow from last weekend is on a positive stabilizing trend, with mainly small wind slabs resulting from a mix of northeast and more recent southwest winds remaining as surface instabilities. This recent snow rests on previously wind affected snow and a thick rain crust that exists up to roughly 2100 m. In many areas this capping crust extends to mountaintops.
Sheltered areas now have 15-30 cm of snow above the crust. The bottom 20 cm of the snowpack consists of basal facets and decomposing crusts that have not been an active avalanche problem since December, but could reemerge as a problem after sustained warming.
