A stable weather pattern is forecast for the next few days. Give the recent new snow time to settle and stabilize.
80-100 cm of recent storm snow combined strong southwest wind has promoted storm slab development. Watch for solar triggering of recent snow on steep solar aspects during periods of sun.
Monday Night: Cloudy with clear periods. Light northwest wind. Alpine temperatures around -8 C.
Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud. Light northwest wind. Alpine temperatures around -7 C.
Wednesday: Mix of sun and cloud. Light west wind. Alpine temperatures around -9 C.
Thursday: Scattered flurries. Light to moderate west wind. Alpine temperatures around -9 C.
On Saturday, storm slabs up to size 2.5 and loose dry up to size 2 were observed in the Shames area and the Skeena corridor. Additionally wind slab avalanches up to size 2.5 were reported in Bear Pass area.
80-100 cm of recent storm snow has been highly wind affected in the alpine. Expect to find deep wind loaded pockets below ridgetops and the lee sides of exposed features.
The new snow fell on a crust up to treeline and extensively wind affected surfaces at alpine and treeline elevations. The underlying snowpack is overall quite well consolidated, with an average depth of around 2 m. Two layers of surface hoar are now buried 80-150 cm deep. The recent widespread natural storm slab avalanche cycle was a good test on the reactivity of these layers, and there have been no reports of step-downs. Signs of instability that may be associated with these layers have been observed in isolated areas on low angle terrain below treeline, as detailed in this MIN report.
