Although slightly warmer Wednesday, the brisk northerly wind will keep it feeling cold. Lots of wind effect in the alpine, but pockets of good riding can be found.
Lingering hard wind slabs exist on alpine lee features. Potential failure planes are old weak facet layers or the Jan 30 layer of facets, sun crusts, and isolated surface hoar beneath the recent snow.
No natural avalanches were observed or reported in 48 hrs. Sunshine triggered three small wind slabs with explosives on a NE-facing alpine feature. Visitor Safety looked at the Quartz skier accidental - the start zone was 48° and the failure plane was an old layer of weak facets down 50 cm.
25-30cm of settled snow from last week has been redistributed by the wind in exposed locations, burying the Jan 30 weak layer. The mid and lower snowpack is well settled, with tree-line snow depths ranging from 120 cm to 180 cm.
Wednesday's temperatures will be warmer, with morning lows around -20C and daytime highs around -10C. Winds will be light to moderate from the North, then switch to a westerly flow in the afternoon. Skies will be a mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation in the forecast.
