The Blues have received 6" of new snow overnight and are forecasted to receive another 3"-7" by Saturday morning.This snow has been and will continue to be accompanied by west,southwest,and south winds.These conditions will create dense windslabs on north,northeast,and east facing terrain at and near ridge tops.All this new snow sits atop our Christmas refresh layer which sits atop the stout Solstice crust.This combination is a good recipe for slab avalanches. Slopes steeper than 35 degrees should be avoided today,especially at or near ridge tops.
The Christmas refresh (weak layer) layer sits upon the Solstice crust which is an ideal avalanche sliding surface.When you add a thick windslab to the equation you have the ideal combo of bed surface,weak layer,and windslab to create a dangerous avalanche situation. Avoid leeward facing slopes steeper than 35 degrees today and tomorrow,especially at or near ridge tops.
New relatively dense snow will be resting upon the weaker Christmas refresh.By Saturday morning we could be looking at up to 18" of new snow sitting atop weaker snow.All this snow is sitting on an ideal sliding surface,the stout Solstice crust.On steep terrain greater than 35 degrees,the weight of a recreationalist could trigger a potentially dangerous avalanche.It is recommended that recreationalists stay off steep slopes today and tomorrow.The snow pack needs time to bond and gain strength.
