Start on small slopes and retreat to mellower terrain if you find signs of instability like whumpfing, shooting cracks, or recent avalanches.
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With plenty of snow available for transport watch for localized winds building fresh reactive wind slabs in lee terrain features. Wind slabs are most reactive during formation.
A weak layer of surface hoar and facets or a crust is 30 to 60 cm deep. This layer is reactive to human-triggering where a slab has developed above it. Watch for signs of instability.
On Monday, a few human-triggered size 1 wind slab avalanches were reported in north facing alpine and treeline features. Avalanche control produced several explosive-triggered persistent slab and dry loose avalanches, up to size 1.5.
A size 2 natural wind slab avalanche was observed in northeast-facing alpine terrain.
We expect unconsolidated snow will remain reactive to skier traffic on Thursday in steep terrain. Carefully manage sluffing.
Storm snow totals range from 30 to 50 cm, with deeper deposits in wind-loaded areas. The new snow is bonding poorly to old surfaces, which include melt-freeze crusts on sun-exposed slopes, surface hoar or facets on shaded slopes, and wind-affected snow at higher elevations.
A weak layer of surface hoar or facets may be found 30 to 60 cm deep. Where this layer is preserved it may be reactive to human triggering.
A weak layer of facets from early December is 60 to 120 cm deep.
The base of the snowpack consists of a thick crust with facets or depth hoar in many areas.
Wednesday Night
Clear. 15 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.
Thursday
Sunny. Light variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C.
Friday
Sunny. Light variable ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C. Possible temperature inversion above 1700 m.
Saturday
Mostly sunny. 5 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -17 °C. Possible temperature inversion above 1700 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
