The potential for a step-down avalanche remains with the persistent slab problem.
Adjust your plan if you see signs of instability like whumfing, shooting cracks, and recent avalanches.
Recent snow and wind have created fresh wind slabs. Use caution as you transfer into wind-affected terrain, as these slabs may still be reactive to riders.
Weak layers remain a concern in north-facing terrain where snowpack depth is variable. There's still uncertainty about avalanches stepping down to these layers, potentially triggering very large avalanches.
On Monday, two very large persistent slabs were remotely triggered by skiers and a snowcat in the Birkenhead area. They occured on west and east alpine slopes and ran full path. Crowns were 75 to 100 cm and one of them stepped down to the mid-February week layer.
Debris from natural and human-triggered avalanches (such as cornice falls, wind, and storm slabs) from the stormy weekend continues to be reported in the region (up to size 3).
15 to 20 cm of dry snow exists on northerly slopes, while a melt-freeze crust is found on southerly aspects up to 2000 m. Deeper deposits of wind-transported snow are present in lee terrain. This sits over 80 to 150 cm of settling storm snow from the past week.
The early March weak layer of facets or surface hoar on a crust is now down 100 to 150 cm and present on all aspects except high north-facing slopes. Very large avalanches (size 3 to 3.5) were reported on this layer in the past week.
Weak layers formed in mid-February and late-January are now buried 110 to 190 cm deep.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C. Freezing level at valley bottom.
Wednesday
Partly cloudy with isolated flurries. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Thursday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of new snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of new snow. 30 to 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
