The wind has redistributed the new snow into wind slabs. Use caution as you transfer into wind-affected terrain.
Variable winds recently have built wind slabs on all aspect in the alpine and treeline elevations. Wind slabs can still be triggered by riders.
A few small to large (size 1 to 2) wind slab avalanches out of steep alpine terrain were reported since Tuesday.
20 to 30 cm of snow that in isolated areas is up to 60 cm has accumulated in the past week. This storm snow has formed a slab and overlies a hard melt-freeze crust and perhaps isolated surface hoar crystals in wind-sheltered treeline terrain.
Variable winds have created windslabs on all aspects near or just below ridge crests.
The snow may be deeper and touchier in wind-exposed lee features.
A weak layer of surface hoar and/or faceted grains buried mid-February is around 50 to 100 cm deep, but is showing signs of strengthening.
The lower snowpack is well-settled.
Sunday night
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Monday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Tuesday
Mix of sun and cloud with 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
Wednesday
Mix of sun and cloud. 30 to 40 southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
