Cold temperatures and short daylight hours could turn even a small incident into a serious emergency. Bring extra warm layers and be back well before sunset.
Watch for signs of instability and have a dig to see if the persistent slab problem exists in your location.
The Nov 17 and Dec 5 surface hoar are down ~75cm and ~35cm respectively, and most reactive around tree line. These layers have shown 'sudden' results in snowpack tests and have been failing on steep, unsupported features.
Reports of small human-triggered avalanches, size 0.5 on unsupported pillows and rolls, failing on the Nov 17 layer.
Isolated natural sluffs and small avalanches up to size 1.5 were observed out of steep terrain on Friday.
Adjacent to Rogers Pass in less-traveled terrain, extensive whumpfing and cracking is prevalent at Tree-line elevations.
Up to 10cm now buries the Dec 16 surface hoar (up to 10mm at tree line and below) and a crust on solar aspects.
The snowpack is thin (~110cm at 2000m) and generally facetted. The Dec 5 and Nov 17 surface hoar layers are down ~40cm and ~70cm respectively and have produced sudden results in snowpack tests.
Bundle up! Mid to low minus twenties this week, with Santa bringing milder temps and snow on the weekend.
For the next few days, expect a mix of sun and clouds, light winds from the east, no snow, and cold temps.
