Isolated pockets of wind slabs are the primary concern. Also give a wide berth to large and looming cornices and avoid sun-exposed slopes during the heat of the day.
Wind slabs are likely bonding but some could linger. The wind is forecast to pick up over the day, potentially forming new small slabs. The most likely areas to trigger a wind slab would be in steep terrain features adjacent to ridges.
MONDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, 10 km/h south wind, alpine temperature -8 C.
TUESDAY: Clear skies, 20 to 40 km/h northwest wind, alpine temperature -9 C.
WEDNESDAY: Clear skies, 20 km/h northeast wind, alpine temperature -11 C.
THURSDAY: Mostly cloudy with intermittent snowfall, 30 km/h west wind, alpine temperature -10 C.
One natural avalanche was observed out of a steep, shallow, and rocky slope on a south aspect in the north of the region on Sunday. Otherwise, some loose wet avalanches were observed out of steep, south-facing terrain below treeline.
Alpine terrain is heavily wind affected, with windward slopes being scoured and leeward slopes holding wind slabs. Treeline elevations may have around 20 cm of settled snow and perhaps moist snow or a melt-freeze crust on southerly aspects. Below treeline, the snow surface is expected to moisten during the day below the freezing level and freeze into a melt-freeze crust at night.
Around 60 to 90 cm of snow sits on a variety of old snow interfaces consisting of hard wind-affected snow in exposed terrain and weak faceted snow or possibly feathery surface hoar crystals in sheltered terrain. There has not been avalanche activity on these layers observed in the past week.
Faceted snow at the base of the snowpack exists in much of the region.
