Use caution entering steep terrain features, as new wind slabs may have formed.
Small wind slabs may have formed from recent snow and strong southwest wind. Use caution entering steep, lee terrain features below ridges. Resulting slabs could slide easily, as they rest on faceted grains or a hard melt-freeze crust.
TUESDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy with no precipitation, 10 km/h west wind, alpine temperature -8 C.
WEDNESDAY: Mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation, 10 km/h southwest wind, alpine temperature -5 C, freezing level rising to 1800 m.
THURSDAY: Cloudy with snowfall, accumulation 5 cm, 10 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -3 C, overnight freeze and daytime freezing level rising to 2000 m.
FRIDAY: mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries, accumulation 2 to 5 cm, 10 km/h west wind, alpine temperature -2 C, overnight freeze and daytime freezing level rising to 2100 m.
Cornices up to size 3 were triggered by explosives on Monday, with some of them triggering slabs on slopes below.
Please consider posting your observations to the Mountain Information Network to supplement our data stream and help fellow recreationists.
Around 10 to 15 cm of snow accumulated on Tuesday in most of the region, with locally higher amounts up to 30 cm in the west. The snow fell with strong southwest wind, which may have formed new wind slabs in lee terrain features at treeline and alpine elevations. The snow fell onto consolidated faceted snow over a hard melt-freeze crust. A moist, consolidated snowpack exists at low elevations below treeline. At ridge top, remember that cornices are large and looming at this time of year.
Around 100 to 200 cm deep, faceted grains persist around a hard melt-freeze crust from early December. There's uncertainty on if and when this layer will wake up, but it could during the next intense or prolonged warm-up.
