Seeking out sheltered snow at lower elevations should tie in well with short-distance trip plans during some of the darkest days of the year.
Ongoing flurries and elevated winds mean new, reactive wind slabs could be found in exposed terrain. Strong winds may form slabs farther down slope than usual.
No new avalanches have been reported in the region.
Observations have been limited. Please consider sharing your observations through the Mountain Information Network.
Ongoing light snowfall and southerly wind has likely formed deeper deposits on northerly aspects and scoured or pressed south facing slopes.
10 to 30 cm of recent snow now sits above a firm, supportive crust that extends up to 1500 m. A recent MIN report describes well-preserved surface hoar sitting on this crust in the Powder Valley. This setup is worth investigating throughout the region as slabs that form over this grain could be surprisingly touchy.
The remainder of the snowpack has no layers of concern. Snowpack depths range from about 70 to 180 cm.
Tuesday night
Mostly cloudy with up to 5 cm of new snow. 30 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy with less than 5 cm of new snow. 30 to 40 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with around 5 cm of new snow. 50 to 70 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with a trace of new snow. 15 to 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
