Be cautious in steep, wind-affected terrain where triggering slabs is most likely.
Previous strong winds have formed stiff pockets of wind slab, which are probably becoming quite stubborn to trigger. New snow and wind on Sunday may form fresher, reactive slabs in northerly immediate lees.
No new avalanches have been reported in the past few days.
If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you're seeing by submitting a MIN report.
A dusting of new snow overlies heavily wind-affected surfaces in open areas at all elevations. Up to 50 cm of soft snow can be found in sheltered areas.
A mid-February crust or facet layer sits 50 to 70 cm deep, and the late January crust/surface hoar layer is buried 50 to 100 cm deep. These layers have shown no recent reactivity.
Facets or depth hoar exist at the base of the snowpack and may be a concern in inland areas, where the snowpack is generally shallower.
Saturday Night
Mostly clear skies. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -15 °C.
Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. trace to 3 cm of snow. 30 to 50 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
Monday
Mostly cloudy. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 40 to 70 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 10 cm of snow. 30 to 60 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
