Strong winds at upper elevations may have created small isolated pockets of wind slab.
Assess steep slopes for dense or stiff snow before committing.
You may find pockets of wind slab at treeline and above. Watch for stiff, wind-loaded snow on ribs and gullies, especially where it sits over a weak, sugary layer near the base of the snowpack
On Wednesday, a few size 1 wind slab avalanches were reactive to explosives in wind-loaded alpine features. Skiers were able to trigger small pockets of dry, loose snow sluffing in steep terrain features around 2000 m.
At treeline and above, 3–8 cm of new snow sits on top of faceted snow or surface hoar. The upper snowpack is mixed: wind-affected in open areas and softer in sheltered spots, sitting on a crust buried 20 to 30 cm deep from early November. Lower in the snowpack, there are several crusts, and in some areas a weak, sugary facets can be found near the ground.
Total snowpack depths are roughly 60 to 80 cm, tapering quickly at lower elevations.
In many areas, especially below treeline, there is not enough snow to smooth out surface roughness or reach the threshold for avalanches.
Thursday night
Mostly cloudy. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Friday
Cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Sunday
Mostly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
