Strong winds are driving the alpine danger to CONSIDERABLE. Watch for whumphing and cracking below your feet and continue to make observations while gaining elevation towards alpine terrain.
Confidence
Moderate - Wind effect is extremely variable
Weather Forecast
Saturday: Mainly cloudy. New snow 5-15 cm accompanied by strong southwest ridgetop winds. Alpine temperatures near -4 and freezing levels 1700 m.Sunday: Mix of sun and clouds with isolated flurries. Ridgetop wind strong from the West and freezing levels near 1400 m.Monday: Cloudy with some sunny periods and isolated flurries. Ridgetop wind strong from the southwest. Alpine temperatures near -8 and freezing levels 1300 m.
Avalanche Summary
Natural loose dry avalanches were reported on Friday from steeper slopes and terrain features.
Snowpack Summary
Up to 15 cm of new snow, accompanied by strong easterly winds in the beginning of the storm and now switching to the southwest are forming wind slabs on a variety of aspects. Forecast snow for Saturday will add to these totals and may initially have a poor bond to the underlying old snow surfaces which consist of crusts up to 2100 m and dry snow or surface hoar on north aspects above 2100 m. Snowpack testing on the March 15th surface hoar interface (down 20-40 cm on sheltered North aspects) has shown no significant results in the Barnes area. The mid-pack is is well consolidated. Deeper in the snowpack (50-80 cm down) a surface hoar buried mid-February may exist. This interface is dormant. Digging towards the bottom of the snowpack you'll find a combination of crusts and facets that are reportedly widespread.
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.