Watch for fresh wind slabs forming as snow accumulates over Saturday if you are travelling in terrain on the western side of the island.
As storm snow begins to accumulate over Saturday there is potential for fresh and reactive wind slabs to develop. Watch for wind affected deposits around ridgelines and mid slope rollovers.
No new avalanche observations in the past 2 days.
On Tuesday our field team observed several size 1-2 wind slab avalanches at Mt Cain which they estimated to be around 1-2 days old. Some of them failed down to the buried crust.
30-60 cm of recent snow has been redistributed at upper elevations. At lower elevations, it continues to settle with mild temperatures. A sun crust or moist snow may exist on steep solar aspects.
A thick, widespread crust formed in mid February now sits 40-80 cm deep. Near Mt Cain, the crust is smooth with faceted crystals sitting on top of it. Avalanche activity on this layer has now tapered off, and reports show this interface is strengthening and unlikely to be triggered by a riders weight. Riders should still avoid thin and rocky start zones where this layer will sit closer to the surface.
The mid and lower snowpack is well consolidated, containing a series of well-bonded crusts.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy. Light southwest wind. Freezing level drops to 500 m.
Saturday
Light snowfall. 5 cm for most areas. Western areas may see up to 15 cm. Freezing levels reach 1000 m. Moderate southwesterly wind. Alpine high -1 ˚C.
Sunday
10-30 cm of new snow. Highest accumulations on the far west and north of the island. Freezing levels reach 1000 m. Strong southwesterly wind. Alpine high -1 ˚C.
Monday
5 cm of new snow. Freezing levels reach 1000 m. Strong southwesterly wind. Alpine high -1 ˚C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
