Ease into terrain and watch for signs of instability like shooting cracks or recent avalanches. Fresh snow may become sensitive to triggering upon seeing the sun poke out for the first time.
20-40 cm of new snow is settling into a slab, aided by wind and mild temperatures. Storm slabs may be triggerable, particularly in wind-affected terrain features. Loose dry avalanches are possible where the recent snow hasn't formed a slab.
Small loose wet avalanches can be expected out of steep south-facing terrain features if the sun comes out.
Wednesday night: A trace of snow. Moderate southwest wind. Alpine high around -8 °C.
Thursday: Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks. Flurries up to 5 cm in Haines Pass. Light to moderate southeast wind. Alpine high around -6 °C.
Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light southeast wind. Alpine high around -5 °C.
Saturday: A mix of sun and cloud. Light southeast wind. Alpine high around -5 °C.
Observations since the storm has been limited by poor visibility but preliminary reports indicate minimal natural avalanche activity. Along the Skagway-White Pass highway, only one path ran naturally during the storm and subsequent explosive control work produced minimal results.
If you head out into the mountains, and you have photos to share, conditions to report on, or just some stoke about the good riding, consider making a post on the Mountain Information Network.
Around 50 cm of new and recent snow is settling and bonding well. Redistribution of low density surface snow by wind is likely in wind exposed terrain features.
A couple of sun crusts exist in the upper snowpack but none have been identified as layers of particular concern. The lower snowpack is thought to be well protected by the dense, wind-pressed layers above, and it is unlikely that avalanches will be triggered on weak, sugary crystals near the ground at this time.
