Wind slabs are nothing new for White Pass, but buried surface hoar on a hard bed surface could lead to surprising reactivity. Add persistent slabs to your assessment in thin snowpack areas.
Rounds of flurries with elevated winds have been forming new wind slabs in the White Pass area. Surface hoar and a hard bed surface beneath the new snow may lead to surprising reactivity.
A weak layer of facets may be found a variable 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 avalanches have been reported since before January 16, but new snow and wind have been working to change that. Observations are still limited, so be sure to post yours to the MIN if you get out!
A wind-redistributed 15 to 30 cm accumulated in the region since January 26, heavily favouring White Pass.
It buried heavily 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 will certainly promote reactivity where slabs form over it. Farther inland there likely isn't enough new snow for this.
A weak layer of facets is buried a variable 70 to 200 cm deep and continues to produce hard but sudden test results. It's a concern in thin-to-thick spots in White Pass and is the main concern in shallower inland areas, where the bottom half of the snowpack is also composed of weak depth hoar.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with isolated flurries and minimal accumulation. 15 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with afternoon flurries bringing 2 to 3 cm of new snow. 15 to 30 km/h east ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Saturday
Becoming mostly cloudy after scattered flurries bring 2 to 4 cm of new snow. 15 to 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing over the day. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries and minimal accumulation. 15 to 40 km/h east or southeast ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
