Wind slabs are getting more stubborn to trigger, but remain a concern on lee slopes.
A persistent slab problem lingers in thin snowpack areas.
Flurries combined with southwesterly winds formed wind slabs in the White Pass area. Potential surface hoar and a crust beneath the new snow may lead to surprising reactivity.
A weak layer of facets may be found 70 to 200 cm deep. In shallower inland areas, weak depth hoar exists to ground. If you don't find a supportive crust under the new snow, these layers may be triggerable.
No new avalanches have been reported.
With the recent wind and snow, we expect human-triggered slab avalanches in specific areas remain possible. Natural avalanches are unlikely at this time.
Observations are still limited, so be sure to post yours to the MIN if you get out!
15- 30 cm of snow has accumulated in the region since Jan 26, heavily favouring White Pass. Recent strong winds have created widespread wind effect at ridgetops.
The new snow covered old wind-affected surfaces in most areas, but also a crust (up to 10 cm thick) below 1300 m and on south aspects. Surface hoar is preserved in sheltered features at all elevations and could promote reactivity where slabs have formed over it. Farther inland, there likely isn't enough new snow for this.
A weak layer of facets, buried 70–200 cm deep, continues to react in tests. It remains a concern where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick in White Pass and is the primary issue in shallower inland areas with basal depth hoar.
Saturday Night
Cloudy. 0 to 3 cm of snow. 20 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Sunday
Cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Monday
Mostly cloudy. 0 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
