Dangerous avalanche conditions persist at all elevations. The snowpack will remain primed for rider triggering as natural avalanches taper off.
A weak layer of faceted grains above a melt-freeze crust buried 50 to 100 cm deep is a recipe for large, high-consequence avalanches. This snowpack setup will take some time to strengthen.
Storm slabs are likely to remain reactive to human traffic, particularly where they sit on problematic weak layers or hard surfaces. Smaller slabs may easily step down and trigger larger, more destructive avalanches.
Numerous natural and rider-triggered storm slab and persistent slab avalanches size 1 to 3 have been reported the past few days in the alpine and treeline elevation bands on all aspects. Most of these occurred on the weak layer of faceted grains 60-100 cm deep sitting on a crust formed in early February. Several were reported as remotely triggered (from a distance).
As natural avalanche activity tapers, the snowpack will remain primed for rider-triggered avalanches.
70 to 110 cm of recent snow sits on a variety of layers that it may not bond well to, including surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, weak facets, or a hard melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed south and west-facing slopes. A plethora of recent avalanche observations indicate the fresh snow is not bonding well to these layers. The wind has likely formed thicker deposits in lee terrain features near ridges.
A thick and hard widespread crust that formed in early February is buried 50 to 100 cm deep and is found up to around 2400 m. This crust may have a layer of facets above it, which makes it a troublesome avalanche layer.
The remainder of the snowpack is settled.
Thursday Night
Cloudy with flurries, 5 to 15 cm of snow. 15 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with sunny breaks and isolated flurries, 5 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud and isolated flurries. 15 to 25 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
