Lower your expectations with the touchy slabs out there. There were 3 human-triggered avalanches yesterday, and 1 on Sunday injured a person.
Weather Forecast
A brief lull in the storm today, but some convective cells will likely bring scattered flurries between short glimpses of sun. Winds will back down today as well. Freezing levels are expected to stay near 1100m, then drop to 400m tomorrow morning. A minor storm tracks through Wednesday, with ~10cm of snow, mod SW winds, and rising temps.
Snowpack Summary
15cm of snow overnight brings the storm total to approximately 85cm since Feb 10. Wind slab development has been widespread in the Rogers Pass area, with strong S-SW winds redistributing the storm snow into lee areas and creating a reactive slab. On solar aspects this slab sits on a crust. Below 1600m, expect to see heavy, moist snow.
Avalanche Summary
3 separate human-triggered avalanches yesterday, 2 up the Asulkan Brook area and 1 up Connaught. All were around 2000-2200m, 35+ degrees, and on unsupported terrain. Sunday afternoon saw a skier-triggered avalanche on Avalanche Crest hit 2 skiers, partially burying them and injuring one person. Avalanche control this a.m. is producing to sz 3.5.
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
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.