Forecasted snow and strong winds could trigger some loose dry avalanches at ridgetop. Good ski quality still, but valley bottoms are a bit rugged.
Weather Forecast
Depending of the forecast, we can expect 0 to 8cm on snow Friday. This approaching low will come with moderate to strong winds in the alpine. The day time high for Friday will reach -7 in the valley. Expect to see some snow transport at higher elevation and new loading at ridge top.
Snowpack Summary
Prolonged cold temperatures have weakened and facetted the upper snowpack. Wind effect is common in the alpine and several recent crusts can be found on steep solar slopes. Weaker layers like the Jan.17 surface hoar/facets linger down 40-60 cm in some locations, but are currently lying dormant. A weak basal snowpack exists in thin snowpack areas.
Avalanche Summary
The loose dry problem remains the main concern. These avalanches are running far and entraining a substantial amount of snow. On clear days you can expect an increase in reactivity of the loose dry problem on solar aspects.
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.