Light snow overnight has covered a variety of surfaces. Watch for buried crusts on solar aspects. Conditions in the upper 30 cm make for fast sluffing in steep terrain.
Weather Forecast
Westerly flow will bring cloudy skies and light snow today. Expect ridge top winds W/NW 20-40 (km/h) and alpine temperature around -6. Light snow is forecast for Saturday and Sunday with accumulations less then 10 cm.
Snowpack Summary
Strong solar rad has produced breakable sfc Cr mainly on steep solar aspects above 1700m. Some easterly slopes are also effected. Yesterday we observed SH on the sfc up to 2150 m, the largest at the top of the VF ~1600 m (sz 10-20mm). Cold temps and below ave HS have produced more faceting in the snowpack then normal, especially in the top 30 cm.
Avalanche Summary
Recent natural avalanche activity observed along the highway corridor has been confined to steep unskiable terrain. Small, loose avalanches triggered by solar radiation have been observed from steep solar aspects.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.