Frosty flurries feature foremost in the forecast.
Temps will rise slightly with the arrival of the new snow, but remain frigid enough to freeze your footsies.
Bring plenty of warm clothing, food, and hot drinks to prevent hypothermia if an emergency arises.
Moderate Southerly winds came with the storm, and then switched to downflowing N/NE winds as the cold air moved in. Watch for windslabs in unusual places, and lower on the slope than what is typical. These windslabs seem more susceptible to triggering on solar aspects, failing on a suncrust.
Natural activity during the cold snap has been limited to loose/dry and wind slabs in Rogers Pass.
Bruins Ridge saw a sz 2 wind slab fail on a SW aspect, most likely on the underlying suncrust.
Several thin sz 1.5 hard slabs were observed off the S side of Christiana Ridge, as well as a sz 2 off the steep SE aspect of Fidelity Mtn.
All noted avalanches failed on a suncrust.
Moderate winds (S/SW switching to N/NE) have redistributed 40-50cms of snow into variable soft to hard surface slabs. These sit upon a sun crust on solar aspects, firm wind effect in the alpine, and soft facetted snow on sheltered N aspects.
Below 2100m there is a crust down 70-80cm (from Dec 5th/6th).
The Dec 1 surface hoar layer is down 90-120cm and is decomposing. However, it is still reactive in isolated snowpack tests.
Slightly milder temps, flurries, and light winds for the next few days.
Tonight: Increasing cloud, Alp low -16°C, light SW wind.
Tues: Flurries (5-10cm), Alp high -12°C, light ridge wind.
Wed: Flurries (10cm), Alp high -12°C, light E wind.
Thurs: mix of sun/cloud/flurries, trace snow, Alp high -13°C, light E wind.
