Exercise caution in steep terrain, especially when the upper snowpack feels stiff or slabby, as it could be resting on a fragile layer of surface hoar.
This problem mostly refers to a weak layer buried in early December, but a layer buried mid December could be active around Pine Pass, where storm snow is deeper. Surface hoar is most likely to be preserved in areas sheltered from the wind.
No new avalanches have been reported. There are very few field observations coming from this forecast area. Remember that a lack of avalanche reports does not necessarily mean a lack of avalanche activity.
If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Recent winds over the weekend have scoured the surface down to old hard, crusts in south and west-facing terrain at higher elevations. Deeper pockets of wind-deposited snow are present on north and east-facing terrain.
A concerning layer of weak, feathery surface hoar crystals can be found approximately 30-50 cm down from the surface.
The mid snowpack likely contains multiple frozen crusts, while the lower snowpack is generally faceted.
Average snowpack depths at treeline range from 50 to 100 cm.
The higher amounts of snowfall are expected in the west of the region, while the lower amounts are expected as you travel east within the region.
Monday Night
Cloudy with 2 to 8 cm of snow, southeast alpine winds 20 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -7 °C.
Tuesday
Cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow, south alpine winds 10 to 30 km/h, treeline temperature -5 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy with 0 to 5 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 50 to 70 km/h, treeline temperature 0 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy with 0 to 10 cm of snow, southwest alpine winds 50 to 70 km/h, treeline temperature 0 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
