Give storm slabs time to bond and keep your eye on cornices.
Route selection should take both of these hazards into consideration.
Cornices are large and overhanging, give these hazards a wide berth and reduce your time travelling under them.
A falling cornice has the potential to trigger a large avalanche on the slope below.
Recent storm snow will likely remain reactive due to the underlying crust. The largest and most reactive slabs will be on northerly aspects.
Dry loose avalanches are possible where new snow hasn’t formed a slab.
On Tuesday a notable size 3 natural storm slab avalanche occurred. It released in the alpine on a north aspect and travelled to a low elevation.
On Sunday and Monday, several small (size 1) slab avalanches were human and naturally triggered in wind-loaded alpine terrain. A few large (up to size 3) slabs were triggered by cornice failures, both natural and explosive-controlled.
20 to 40 cm of recent storm snow has been redistributed by south and west wind, forming deeper deposits on leeward features. A sun crust exists just below this storm snow.
The crust formed during the atmospheric river event is down 40 to 70 cm and exists up to at least 2100 m. This crust is 10 to 20 cm thick with moist snow below it.
Weak layers from February can be found down 150 cm and deeper. These layers remain a concern at high elevations where the crust from the atmospheric river might not exist.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
