Significant warming is expected to increase the reactivity of weak layers.
Verify conditions as you travel and back off if you notice signs of instability.
Recent snow and strong winds have built wind slabs at upper elevations. Slabs may be more reactive where a buried surface hoar layer is present and during the warmest parts of the day.
Loose wet avalanches may be possible during the warmest parts of the day or on sunny slopes. Back off slopes if the surface becomes moist or wet with rising temperatures.
On Wednesday & Thursday, there were reports of small, size 1 to 1.5, reactive wind slabs triggered by explosives and skiers. Dry loose sluffs were also reported.
Looking forward, we may see increased reactivity with wind slabs and cornices during the warmest parts of the day.
Strong winds have developed wind slabs in lee and cross-loaded features at upper elevations. In parts of the region, a weak surface hoar layer may be buried around 40 cm.
The mid-snowpack is wind-pressed and consolidated with a melt-freeze crust that is widespread at treeline and below, and generally absent in alpine terrain.
Near the bottom of the snowpack, a crust with facets is considered unlikely to trigger, except with large loads or in thin snowpack areas.
Friday Night
Partly cloudy. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level around 1500 m with a temperature inversion developing.
Saturday
Sunny. 60 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 1 °C. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level rising to 1700 m.
Monday
Mostly cloudy. 1 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level around 2000 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
