South Rockies

Winds slabs maintain an ongoing concern as steady winds continue to redistribute loose snow. Watch for reactive pockets around steep rolls and ridge features.

Wednesday night: Mostly cloudy with isolated flurries. Alpine low temperature -8 C. Moderate west winds.

Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud. Alpine high temperature -6 C. Moderate west winds. Freezing level climbing to 1500 m.

Friday: Mix of sun, cloud and flurries, 5 cm. Alpine high temperature 0 C. Moderate southwest winds with strong gusts. Freezing level rising to 2000 m.

Saturday: Flurries and snow, 10-15 cm. Alpine high temperature -1 C. Moderate southwest wind gusting strong to extreme. Freezing level dropping to 1600 m.

Several recent natural, small to large (size 1-2.5) wind slab avalanches were reported on northwest through northeast aspects at upper elevations on Monday.

On January 16th, a natural, size 2 wind slab stepped down to the deep persistent basal facets below a rock band, details here.

Continuing west and southwest winds have formed stiff wind slabs on lee and cross-loaded terrain features at upper elevations. 

A crust can be found up to treeline and on solar aspects in the alpine due to previous warming and sun exposure. 

A well consolidated mid-pack overlies a generally weak basal snowpack. The bottom 10-20 cm of the snowpack consists of facets and deteriorating crusts. Although inherently weak, the benign weather pattern early this week likely promoted a decreasing trend in reactivity for this avalanche problem. Areas that are most likely to harbor this problem are shallow, rocky start zones. 

• Watch for wind-loaded pockets especially around ridgecrest and in extreme terrain.
• Avoid steep, rocky, and wind effected areas where triggering slabs is more likely.