A cooling trend is on the way beginning Thursday. Good skiing can still be found on sheltered treeline slopes.
Weather Forecast
Up to 10 cm of warm snow will fall over Wednesday night followed by a sharp drop in temperatures along with gusty moderate West winds. The cool temperatures will continue Thursday along with light flurries. More snow expected on Friday.
Snowpack Summary
90cm of snow has fallen since March 13. Soft slabs continue to form in the alpine and at treeline on wind exposed slopes from gusty moderate S to SW winds. Previous North winds have reverse loaded gully features. At treeline, soft slabs rest on a suncrust 80 cm deep in south facing terrain. The snowpack is generally supportive below treeline.
Avalanche Summary
A recent helicopter flight revealed that a significant avalanche cycle occurred on N to NE alpine slopes to size 3 and on terrain as low as 25 degrees. All of these avalanches involved the recent storm snow. The likely trigger for this cycle was continued wind loading along with an increase in temperature.
Confidence
Intensity of incoming weather systems is uncertain on Thursday
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.