Although slightly warmer Wednesday, the brisk northerly wind will keep it feeling cold. Lots of wind effect in the alpine, but pockets of good riding can be found.
Lingering hard wind slabs exist on alpine lee features. Potential failure planes are old weak facet layers or the Jan 30 layer of facets, sun crusts, and isolated surface hoar beneath the recent snow.
No natural avalanches were observed or reported in 48 hrs. Sunshine triggered three small wind slabs with explosives on a NE-facing alpine feature. Visitor Safety looked at the Quartz skier accidental - the start zone was 48° and the failure plane was an old layer of weak facets down 50 cm.
Last week's storm snow has been redistributed into wind slabs, which now sit on top of the Jan 30 interface. The mid-pack is generally weak with facets, while depth hoar over a crust forms an even weaker base. The snowpack is the weakest in eastern areas where snow depths are low. In these areas, the basal weaknesses should be carefully considered.
Wednesday's temperatures will be warmer, with morning lows around -20C and daytime highs around -10C. Winds will be moderate from the North, then switch to a moderate westerly flow in the afternoon. Skies will be a mix of sun and cloud with no precipitation in the forecast.
