Wind slabs overlying surface hoar on a hard bed surface could lead to surprising reactivity.
A persistent slab problem lingers in thin snowpack areas.
Flurries combined with southwesterly winds have been forming wind slabs in the White Pass area. Potential surface hoar and a crust beneath the new snow may lead to surprising reactivity.
A weak layer of facets may be found 70 to 200 cm deep. In shallower inland areas, weak depth hoar exists to ground. If you don't find a supportive crust under the new snow, these layers may be triggerable.
No new avalanches have been reported.
With the recent wind and snow, we expect human-triggering slab avalanches in specific areas remains possible.
Observations are still limited, so be sure to post yours to the MIN if you get out!
15 to 30 cm of wind-blown new snow has accumulated in the region since January 26, heavily favouring White Pass.
It buried old wind-affected surfaces in most areas, but also a crust (up to 10 cm thick) below 1300 m and on south aspects. Surface hoar is preserved in sheltered features at all elevations and will certainly promote reactivity where slabs form over it. Farther inland, there likely isn't enough new snow for this.
A weak layer of facets, buried 70–200 cm deep, continues to produce hard but sudden test results. It is a concern where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick in White Pass and remains the primary issue in shallower inland areas with basal depth hoar.
Friday Night
Cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Saturday
Cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Monday
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
