Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Use high points in the terrain such as ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Use high points in the terrain such as ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
Tuesday night: Partly cloudy / Strong east wind / Low of -20 / Freezing level valley bottom.
Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light east wind / High of -8 / Freezing level valley bottom.
Thursday: Sunny / Moderate east wind / High of -6 / Freezing level 600 m.
Friday: Increasing cloudiness / Light southeast wind / High of -5 / Freezing level 700 m.
A few naturally triggered wind slabs up to size 1.5 were reported on northeasterly aspects in the alpine on Monday.
20-40 cm of recent snow sits on a melt-freeze crust that exists on all aspects to at least 2000 m. A sun crust likely extends to mountain tops on solar aspects.
Recent strong winds from a variety of directions formed wind slabs on lee aspects at treeline and above.
The prominent layer in the upper snowpack is a melt-freeze crust down 40-70 cm.
Cornices are very large and exposure to slopes beneath them should be minimized, especially if the weather is sunny, warm, or windy.
