Forecast new snow and strong winds on Sunday are expected to elevate the danger in the alpine.
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light northwesterly ridgetop winds / Freezing level valley bottom.SUNDAY: 5-10cm snow / Moderate to strong westerly ridgetop winds / Freezing level valley bottom.MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud / Light westerly ridgetop winds / Freezing level valley bottom.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches were reported within this region on Thursday. Please submit your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
Snowpack Summary
The 2-5cm of new snow on Friday fell on a wide variety of surfaces including large surface hoar (weak, feather-like crystals), hard crusts formed by sun or wind, and sugary facets. There is not yet significant new snow load to create problems, however, it will be important to monitor how the new snow is bonding to the smorgasbord of surfaces out there. When we receive significant new snow and it settles into a cohesive slab, you can bet there will be avalanches. I would be most concerned about areas that have surface hoar sitting on top of a hard crust. A major feature in the snowpack is a crust which was formed by rain in late November. It is down approximately 40-60cm at treeline elevations and snowpack tests suggest the snow is currently bonding well to it.Below treeline, the snowpack depth decreases rapidly. Look out for early season hazards such as rocks, stumps, and open creeks.