Natural avalanche activity has dropped, but the shallow snowpack and numerous rocks sticking out don't inspire confidence to rip a bold line.
Early season hazards exist everywhere.
The Winter Permit System started on Nov 16! Take the quiz, get your annual permit, and know what areas are open before you venture into the backcountry.
Strong southerly winds formed isolated pockets of wind slab. If triggered, it may step down to the faceted layer at the base of the snowpack, resulting in a large avalanche.
The facet layer at the base of the snowpack is more likely to be triggered in shallow, rocky areas, such as ridge-crests and open, convex slopes. A bridging crust exists below Treeline, preventing folks from sinking to the ground at lower elevations.
No new avalanches were observed up Connaught Creek today, nor in the highway corridor. On Monday, a field team observed a sz 2, failing on the ground, near Christiana Ridge from a very steep SE aspect, likely from Sunday.
The height of snow at treeline is ~90cm. A thin crust on steep solar aspects has been buried by 5-10cm of new snow.
The base of the snowpack consists of weak, sugary facets and may collapse in shallow, rocky zones, producing large "whumpfs". Snow depth increases with elevation but distribution is highly variable; expect many rocks/trees lurking at and just below the snow surface.
Flurries in the next 24hours, followed by an extended dry spell with seasonal temps.
Tonight: Flurries, 5-10cm, 25-40km/h SW winds, Alp high -6*C
Wed: Mainly cloudy, isolated flurries, light NW winds, Alp high -6*C
Thurs: mix of sun/cloud, light winds, Alp high -8*C
Detailed weather forecasts can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
