Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Use high points in the terrain such as ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
Recent wind has varied in direction so watch for wind slabs on all aspects.
Use high points in the terrain such as ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow.
Sunday night: Mostly clear / Light northeast wind / Low of -14 / Freezing level valley bottom.
Monday: Mix of sun and cloud / Moderate east wind / High of -7 / Freezing level valley bottom.
Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Strong east wind / High of -10 / Freezing level valley bottom.
Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud / Moderate southeast wind / High of -8 / Freezing level valley bottom.
Explosive control work produced wind slab avalanches up to size 3 near Sentinel Pass on Saturday. The most notable results occurred on north and east aspects that had been most loaded by recent wind.
10-30 cm of recent snow buries a melt-freeze crust that exists on all aspects to at least 2000 m. A sun crust likely extends to mountain tops on solar aspects.
Recent strong winds from a variety of directions formed wind slabs on lee aspects at treeline and above.
The prominent layer in the upper snowpack is a melt-freeze crust down 50-70 cm.
Cornices are very large and exposure to slopes beneath them should be minimized, especially if the weather is sunny, warm, or windy.
