Very touchy conditions mean it's a good idea to avoid all avalanche terrain. Maybe try flat meadows on a snowmobile, or for skiers, in-bounds at a ski resort.
Weather Forecast
Thursday: Mainly dry under a weak ridge of high pressure. Isolated flurries are possible but accumulations should be very light. FL 600-800m. Friday: Light to moderate snowfall - 10-15cm with the greatest amounts likely in the south. FL 500-800m. Winds should be moderate from the southwest. Saturday: Flurries continue in most areas. Winds should ease to light and variable. FL lowers to valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
It is likely that a large and widespread avalanche cycle occurred on Wednesday. This cycle should continue into Thursday with forecast strong winds. Previous reports include numerous natural avalanches up to Size 3 and several remotely triggered avalanches up to Size 2.5. Avalanches were reported at all elevations and on slopes as shallow as 25 degrees.
Snowpack Summary
Moderate west-northwest winds are creating weak wind slabs in exposed alpine and treeline terrain. Up to 70cm of new snow now sits on the February 16th Surface Hoar layer and is slowly settling into a cohesive slab. The February 8th weakness is now down 80-100cm. This layer is a combination of weak layers: In most locations it marks a widespread surface hoar layer. On steep south & west facing aspects a sun crust that formed during the drought was also buried on Feb. 8th. This crust likely has a bit of faceting below it too, meaning that most terrain in the region has a weak layer 40-60cm under the snow surface. Below this problematic interface a well settled mid pack is in place. It should be noted that large cornices remain widespread throughout the region and may fail as temperatures fluctuate over the next few days.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.