Incoming snowfall should help to insulate the snowpack from daytime warming, and may improve ski quality on high north aspects. A cautious approach is still warranted where the snowpack is isothermal.
Weather Forecast
A cold front embedded in a SW flow is bringing cooling temps and light precipitation to the area.Tuesday: Flurries. Accumulation: 5-10 cm. Treeline temperature: Low -5°C, High -2°C. Ridge wind southwest: 15 km/h gusting to 40 km/h. Freezing level: 1900 meters.
Snowpack Summary
The entire snowpack is isothermal below treeline, and higher on solar aspects. A surface crust is forming overnight and breaking down with daytime warming/solar input. The snowpack has remained dry on shady aspects at higher elevations - in deep areas it is generally well settled and bonded, in shallow areas it is facetted and unsupportive.
Problems
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.