Increased southerly winds combined with the recent storm snow may form new wind slabs at treeline and above.
Rider-triggered avalanches are possible.
Moderate to strong southwest wind will kick in on Thursday and continue through the forecast period. New wind slabs will likely build on leeward slopes and may be reactive to rider triggering.
A weak layer of facets exists near the base of the snowpack. The likelihood of human triggering is low given the layer's depth.
Thinner snowpack areas may be more suspectable to triggering.
On Tuesday in the southern part of the region, a natural icefall size 2 was reported from a NE aspect in the high alpine. This did not pull a slab avalanche from the slope below. There have been no avalanche reports from the northern half of the region for several days.
If you are getting out in the backcountry, consider making a post on the MIN (Mountain Information Network). You can share riding conditions, avalanche or snowpack observations, or even just a photo.
10-30 cm of mostly soft snow is settling and bonding to a widespread crust on most aspects except north-facing high alpine slopes, where it sits on old, faceted surfaces. Forecast moderate to strong southwest wind will likely build fresh wind slabs on leeward slopes and behind terrain features.
The middle of the snowpack is generally well-settled and strong.
A weak layer of large facets is found near the base of the snowpack. This layer is still a concern in shallow snowpack areas.
Wednesday Night
Cloudy. Ridgetop wind 20-30 km/h freezing level falling to valley bottom. Treeline low around -5°C.
Thursday
Cloudy. Possible trace of snow. Ridgetop wind 40-60 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level rising to 1500 m. Treeline high around -3°C.
Friday
Cloudy with new snow 3-5 cm. Ridgetop wind 40-65 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level rising to 1800 m.
Saturday
Cloudy. New snow 5-15 cm of snow is expected. Ridgetop wind 60-80 km/h from the southwest. Freezing level 700 m in the morning, rising to between 1800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
