While pushing into bigger terrain assess for wind drifts and firm wind slabs. Small avalanches have the potential to step down to deeper instabilities in large, steep terrain features.
Winds are redistributing the recent low-density snow into potentially reactive windslabs. With cold temperatures, windslabs will likely take longer then usual to stabilize and bond to the underlaying surfaces.
Remember that small wind slabs on the surface could scrub down to deeper weak layers in the snowpack, resulting in bigger then expected avalanches.
Weak layers consisting of surface hoar, facets and crusts, buried early in the season remain a concern despite the lack of current avalanche activity. They are buried down roughly 40 to 100 cm from the surface. Watch as the overlaying snow gains cohesion and could make these layers more reactive.
A size 1 wind slab, that was ski cut in a wind exposed terrain feature was reported on Monday. Otherwise no new reports over the last few days.
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Up to 10cm of recent, low-density snow continues to facet with cold temperatures. Surface snow is cold, light, and ideal to be redistributed by wind into drifts and stiff wind slabs. The new snow overlays an upper snowpack generally made up of old, settled wind-affected snow and a crust on solar aspects.
A number of buried weak layers deeper in the snowpack remain a concern, despite the lack of recent avalanche activity.
Total snow depths remain low for December with roughly 90 to 140 cm at treeline and up to 200 cm in the alpine.
Tuesday night
Clearing, with isolated flurries. Temperatures around -25 C and light Northeast winds in the alpine.
Wednesday
Sunny, and no precipitation. Temperatures -15 to -25 C and light Northeast winds.
Thursday
Sunny with periods of cloud, and no precipitation. Temperatures -15 to -25 C and light Northeast winds.
Friday
Cloudy with snow, up to 20 cm. Temperatures of -5 to -10 C, and moderate Southwest winds.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
