Strong SW winds have been blowing through Rogers Pass, rapidly building reactive wind slabs in lee and cross-loaded areas.
These new slabs need your respect, as they have the potential to overload the persistent slabs in the upper snowpack.
Strong S/SW winds are transporting the low density surface snow and forming wind slab at Tree-line and Alpine elevations.
Watch for these along ridge lines, lee areas and cross loaded features.
This layer is buried ~40cm and will be most reactive at ridgeline or in open lee features where new wind slab has formed. If triggered, this slab has the potential to step down to the deep persistent layer.
The Nov 17 layer, which consists of a faceted crust and decomposing surface hoar, highlights a weak basal snowpack. Be cautious in steep, rocky areas with thin snow coverage, where the majority of the snowpack is weak and faceted.
Unsettled weather follows Monday's cold front, bringing clouds and isolated flurries the next few days.
Tonight: mainly cloudy, flurries, trace snow, 400m FZL, moderate gusty SW winds
Tues: mainly cloudy, trace snow, Alp high -8*C, light/gusting mod W ridge winds, 900m FZL
Wed: mainly cloudy, isolated flurries, trace snow, Alp high -4*C, 1400m FZL, light W winds
A field team on Connaught/Lookout triggered a sz 1 wind slab, which stepped down to the Jan 3 surface hoar. They also observed several sz 1 loose/dry avalanches on the N Face of MacDonald, running in extreme terrain.
Cheops North 4 ran sz 2 Monday morning, while Frequent Flyer ran sz 2 on Sat into the creek.
Lens Gully had a sz 2.5 run end path Mon morning.
Reactive wind slabs are popping out at Tree-line and Alpine elevations, stepping down into the Jan 3 persistent weak layer.
The mid-pack facets are slowly rounding and gaining strength, while the basal facets and Nov 17 facet/SH/crust weakness are still reactive when isolated in snowpack tests.
