The skiing is great!
New snow amounts over the past 24 hours range from 10cm to 30cm depending on the region and convective activity. Generally more new snow has fallen to the South.
With clear skies forecasted for Saturday, the sun could have an impact on the hazard.
The more sun, snow, and wind; the more the hazard will increase.
Wind slab may be present on ridgetop and cross-loaded features.
Dry loose avalanches out of steep terrain and on crusts could also present issues depending on new snow amounts.
The Feb 3 crust/facet interface is down 70-110 cm and remains sensitive to skiers, with remote triggering observed in several instances, on northerly aspects in shallow snowpack areas. All of the recent avalanches that initiate on this layer step down to the basal facets / ground.
Clear skies are forecasted for Saturday, and as we head into April the sun will come with more "punch". Steep solar aspects and rocky terrain will be particularly reactive.
Recent storm snow could also settle with solar into a cohesive storm slab and become reactive on buried crusts.
Friday Sunshine reported storm slab and dry loose skier-controlled avalanches up to Size 1. Members of the public skiing on Simpson HWY 93S reported two Size 1 skier remote storm slab avalanches on the Mar 20th crust.
In the last week, there have been four size 2-3 avalanches that have all been remotely or accidentally triggered by skiers. All occurred on northerly aspects in sub-alpine thin snowpack areas.
Up to 40cm of storm snow (depending on region and convective activity) covers sun crusts on solar aspects and up to 45 cm of dry snow on shaded slopes. Below this, the March 20th crust exists everywhere except north aspects above 1800m.
Our main concern is shallow snowpack areas on northerly Alpine aspects where there is no March 20 crust. Here the Feb 3 facet / crust layer and the basal facets / depth hoar remain possible to trigger
Deeper snowpack areas have fewer concerns
Friday Night: Partly cloudy, trace precip, light winds from the NW with a Low of -12°C
Saturday: Mix of sun and cloud, freezing level rising to 1600m, light winds from the West.
Saturday night and Sunday: Wind picking up to moderate from the West, freezing level rising to 1800m. Mix of sun and cloud.
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