Choose sheltered terrain, and give the new snow time to bond to the old surface.
Southwest winds have formed reactive wind slabs on north through east-facing slopes at upper elevations. Watch for steep, convex terrain features, deposits near ridgetops, and cross-loaded slopes.
Recent reports have been limited.
We expect that with recent snow and rain, human-triggered avalanches will be possible.
If you do go into the backcountry, please consider submitting a MIN report.
Storm totals are expected to reach 30 cm at upper elevations, with moderate to strong southwest winds forming deeper, more reactive slabs on north- and east-facing slopes. At the treeline, especially around Heather Mountain and Peak 5040, precipitation is expected to have fallen as rain, leaving moist surface snow up to 1000 m.
Underneath the new snow, around 5 cm of settling or wet snow sits on a thick, hard, melt-freeze crust that is present up to mountain tops in most areas.
Below treeline, most areas are below the threshold for forming avalanches.
Sunday Night
Cloudy with 5 to 15 mm falling as snow above 1000 m, greatest amounts in the south. 30 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 1200 m dropping to 900 m overnight.
Monday
Sunny. 15 to 30 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 3 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.
Tuesday
A few clouds. 10 km/h north ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature 2 °C. Freezing level 1500 m.
Wednesday
A few clouds. 40 to 60 km/h northeast ridgetop winds. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level drops to 500 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
