Carefully assess conditions and look for signs of instability.
We feel confident in the likelihood of wind slabs but uncertain in the likelihood of persistent slabs.
Wind slabs are expected to remain rider triggerable in steep, leeward terrain. They may be found farther downslope than expected due to strong winds.
Recent snow may have tipped the scales on week layers in the top 50 cm of the snowpack. These layers are most likely to be triggered in sheltered terrain where the upper snowpack feels “slabby”.
On Sunday, a few small slabs were triggered by skiers. These slabs failed on the early February surface hoar layer. These types of avalanches may get larger as the slab above stiffens.
Over the past 3 days numerous dry loose avalanches were observed in steep terrain. These avalanches were triggered naturally and by skiers.
10 to 20 cm of fresh snow accompanied by strong southwest wind has formed deeper deposits on north and east aspects. In sheltered terrain it will overlie a variety of surfaces including surface hoar, facets, and a sun crust.
There are 2 prominent weak layers in the upper snowpack
A surface hoar/crust layer buried early to mid-February is down 15 to 30 cm.
A facet/crust layer buried at the end of January is down roughly 20 to 40 cm.
Below this, the mid and lower snowpack are well settled with several crust layers.
Monday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Wednesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Thursday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
