A layer of surface hoar is being buried by light snow, combined with moderate winds.
Wind slabs are likely isolated and small. Watch for unstable snow in steep, lee terrain features.
Isolated flurries and moderate winds are building small wind slabs over a surface hoar layer in isolated terrain like steep slopes in lee features.
On Monday, in a nearby region, sluffs of faceted surface snow were reported.
On Saturday, a rider triggered avalanche size 1.5 wind slab was reported in the Esplanades. This human-triggered avalanche occurred in a steep, open, rocky alpine feature.
Recent flurries up to 10 cm in some areas, have begun to bury a widespread surface hoar layer, which is generally larger in shaded, sheltered areas at treeline and below.
This surface hoar layer rests on a crust that is highly variable across the region. On steep, solar-facing slopes, the crust is more robust and extends to the mountain tops. On shaded, north-facing slopes, the crust is breaking down.
Faceted snow is present both above and below this crust and is more pronounced on north-facing terrain.
Tuesday Night
Partly cloudy. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 1 to 2 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Mostly cloudy. 2 to 4 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 15 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
