Recent snowfall, moderate winds, and warm temperatures have created a number of avalanche problems.
Use cautious route-finding and evaluate snow and terrain carefully.
Moderate to strong southerly winds have and will continue to redistribute snow creating large potentially reactive wind slab.
In more sheltered areas you may find storm slabs forming where the wind has had less effect.
Warming temperatures and recent precipitation could cause conditions that would result in wet loose avalanches. Be cautious around steep terrain where the surface snow feels slushy.
In the last several days, no avalanche activity has been reported. Be aware that this is not an indication that human-triggered avalanches will not happen, they still can occur.
Please continue to post your reports and photos to the Mountain Information Network.
Around 35 of recent snow now sits on a variety of surfaces. It will have been redistributed at higher elevations by southwest winds.
A melt-freeze crust formed in mid-January is now buried 50 to 70 cm deep. At the moment this layer is gaining strength. The snow below this layer is consolidating nicely. Buried up to 120 cm is another layer of concern, a crust, formed near the end of December.
Snowpack depths are below seasonal averages. Total amounts range from 150 to 200 cm at treeline, but decrease significantly below 1500 m.
Wednesday Night
Mostly cloudy with some clear periods, no accumulation, winds west 15 to 30 km/h, treeline temperatures -7 C.
Thursday
Sunny with morning cloud, trace accumulation in the northwest, winds south southwest 25 to 32, treeline temperatures warming to 0 C.
Friday
Cloudy, up to 15 cm accumulation, winds southwest 25 to 35 km/h, treeline temperatures -4 C with freezing level getting up to 1500 m.
Saturday
Cloudy, 5 cm accumulation, winds west southwest 25 to 40 km/h, treeline temperatures -5 C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
