The best riding will be found in wind protected areas but make sure you aren't below cornices or in convoluted terrain with variable and thin snow coverage.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Monday and overnight to Tuesday morning is a period of relative calm, meaning no new snow but a moderate westerly wind kept blowing.TUESDAY: Dry with moderate to strong westerly winds and temperatures around -5 to -10 at treeline. Mix of sun and cloud with more cloud on the west side of the ranges and sun on the east.WEDNESDAY & THURSDAY: The weather pattern is expected to shift to a more southwesterly flow with slightly warmer temperatures each day. Freezing level climbing to near 1500m by Thursday afternoon. Continued dry.
Avalanche Summary
No new reports received Monday.
Snowpack Summary
Cornices and hard and soft wind slabs can be found on many alpine and treeline slopes. Wind slabs overlie various surfaces, including older hard wind slabs, crusts, facets and spotty surface hoar.The lower snowpack is weak with two primary concerns that are generally widespread:1) A widespread weak layer from mid-December composed of facets, crusts, and surface hoar that is 100-150 cm deep.2) A rain crust with sugary facets buried in late November near the bottom of the snowpack.
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.