More wind and a bit of new snow will raise the danger on Friday.
Ice climbers: gully avalanches may run further than expected given the dry, sugary snow in all the avalanche paths.
Extreme winds overnight Thursday and a few cm new snow on Friday could build windslabs in lee alpine and treeline terrain. These will be bigger in areas with more new snow and may run further than expected if they pick up facetted snow in steep gullied terrain.
Weak facets exist at the base of the snowpack. New snow and wind over the next couple days may make this layer more reacive. Fresh windslabs may step down to the weak snow on the ground and result in larger, more destructive avalanches. Large open slopes at the treeline and in the alpine remain suspect.
Sunshine snow safety reported a couple small windslabs in lee treeline/alpine terrain that were either skiier triggered or natural in the last 24 hours.
Otherwise, no new avalanches reported, but forecasters did not do a field trip on Thursday.
A few cm of new snow and a lot of wind has created windslabs in the alpine and at treeline. These sit on a layer of facets and surface hoar that is likely to become a bad sliding surface in the future. The middle and bottom of the snowpack are weak, with depth hoar and facets near the ground. An average of 60-100cm of snow can be found at treeline elevations.
A cold front is approaching from the NW. Overnight Thursday, we expect extreme westerly winds followed by a few cm of snow with strong winds on Friday. On Saturday, we expect light snow with winds diminishing to moderate from the NW. Temperatures will remain cool throughout the period.
