Carefully assess for wind slabs and buried weak layers before committing to high-consequence terrain.
Recent strong southerly wind likely formed wind slabs on north-facing terrain. Assess for slabs prior to committing to steep terrain.
Recent avalanche observations are limited to a few small dry loose avalanches. Over a week ago, there were several large (size 2 to 3) avalanches releasing on a 30 to 60 cm deep facet layer. While this layer still exists in the snowpack, triggering an avalanche on it is unlikely under the current conditions.
Recent strong southerly wind formed wind slabs in lee terrain features near ridges. Terrain sheltered from the wind has about 10 cm of soft snow. This snow sits above a layer of surface hoar crystals. A weak layer of facets that formed during the arctic outbreak in December is buried 30 to 60 cm deep. Observations suggest it is fairly widespread, but not reactive to triggering under the current conditions.
Monday night
Cloudy with trace precipitation, 30 to 40 km/h southeast wind, treeline temperature -10 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with isolated flurries and trace accumulations of snow, 20 to 30 km/h southeast wind, treeline temperature -6 °C,
WednesdayMostly cloudy with isolated flurries and trace accumulations of snow, 20 to 30 km/h south wind, treeline temperature -6 °C.
ThursdayCloudy with scattered flurries and 1 to 3 cm of snow, 30 to 50 km/h southeast wind, treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
