Pack plenty of extra clothing, warm fluids, and a headlamp for these cold, short days.
Weather Forecast
Sunny with cloudy periods, alpine highs of -17*C, and light NW winds. More of the same for the remainder of the week with no signs of snow for Rogers Pass until late in the weekend...bundle up and enjoy the sunshine!
Snowpack Summary
Light snow over the weekend has hidden widespread hard wind slabs formed during the cold Arctic outbreak. The new snow has also formed thin surface slabs in the immediate lee of ridges and alpine features. Recent snowpack tests indicate both of these slabs are stubborn to initiate and move slowly if propagated.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanche activity observed in the highway corridor in the last 48hrs.
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.