Seriously, is it still ski season at Rogers Pass?! 25cm of new snow Tuesday suggests it is.
The snowpack changes dramatically from crusty travel in the valley bottom to full-on winter in the Alpine. Change your mindset with the changing conditions.
25cm of warm snow blanketed the region Tues. This sits atop various surfaces (crust, previous wind slabs) and may be more reactive where wind effect is more pronounced. Cautiously enter leeward facing lines, especially if the slab sits on a crust.
Watch for moist/wet avalanches during peak daytime warming, especially on steeper slopes exposed to maximum solar radiation.
Continued unsettled wx through Fri with isolated flurries. Diurnal pattern of overnight cooling and rising freezing levels (FZL) during the day.
Tonight: Cloud with clear periods, Alp low -6*C, light SW wind
Thurs: Mix of sun/cloud, Alp high -4*C, FZL 1800m, light W wind
Fri: Mix of sun/cloud, Alp high -3*C, FZL 1800m, light SW wind
There are 2 distinct snowpacks at the moment. Below 2000m exists a firm Spring-time melt-freeze snowpack that is solid in the am, then breaking down with daytime warming. Above 2000m, a winter snowpack dominates, with 25cm of new snow atop various older surfaces (melt-freeze crust, wind slab, or dry powder on high, sheltered, N'ly slopes).
Crossover Gullies E and W, and Tractor Shed W, all spit out a sz 2 storm slab to half-path Tues.
Several moist natural avalanches to sz 2.5 were observed on Avalanche Crest Monday night, roughly starting at 1900m.
