Monitor new snow amounts and reactivity and dial back your terrain choice if you see older storm layers still reacting to tests or traffic. The best, safest snow is found in sheltered terrain.
Another round of light snowfall should form a new storm slab problem to manage on Friday. Expect accumulations, wind loading, and danger to be greatest in open, higher elevation terrain.
On Wednesday, explosives control in the Duffey Lake corridor produced size 2 storm slab results. On the Hurley, 10 - 30 cm storm slabs became touchy to skier traffic in steep terrain, propagating far but with relatively low destructive potential.
With new snow accumulating through Friday, surface instabilities will remain a concern, particularly if Wednesday's failure plane manages to persist. Hazard will be more manageable if activity is limited to the new snow.
About 15 cm of new snow should accumulate by end of day Friday, keeping surface instabilities active.
Strong southerly wind during recent storms has left behind wind slabs of varying age and reactivity in lee features, and exposed rock or December crust in open terrain.
After a midweek 20 to 30 cm storm, we now have roughly 110 cm settling on the mid-December crust over wet snow. This forms the basal snowpack to about 2200 m. Above this elevation, a deeper crust with associated facets, formed in mid-November, can be found just off the ground.
Check out this excellent report from Dec 20 - 23 in the Tenquille Lake area.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with increasing flurries bringing 2 to 10 cm of new snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with easing flurries bringing about 5 cm of new snow. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind, easing. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Saturday
Mostly sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -14 °C.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries. 10 to 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
