Lingering wind slabs are the primary concern. Watch for denser drifts near ridge-crests and rollovers and give cornices a wide berth from above and below.
Strong south winds have had ample snow to drift into reactive wind slabs on lee features at upper elevations. Pay attention to the pattern of wind-drifting in the terrain where you are traveling and watch for cracking or changes in snow stiffness. Triggering large wind slabs on specific features remains possible.
Cornices have seen substantial growth since the last storm, and they may release naturally with the impact of solar radiation. Cornice falls can act as triggers on slopes below.
Dry conditions and diurnal cycles for the next few days
Monday night: Partly cloudy, moderate southeast winds, freezing level dropping to 600 m.
Tuesday: Mix of sun and cloud, isolated convective flurries with trace accumulations, moderate southeast winds, freezing level rising to 1100 m and dropping to 500 m overnight.
Wednesday: Partly cloudy, light variable winds, freezing level rising to 1200 m and dropping to 500 m.
Thursday: Mix of sun and cloud, moderate northwest winds, freezing level rising to 1000 m and dropping to 500 m.
Over the weekend, operators reported numerous soft slabs releasing 20 cm deep in the recent storm snow across aspects from 1700 to 2000 m. Small loose dry sluffs were also observed in steep terrain.
Since Friday, the mountains in the south coast region have seen anywhere from 20-60 cm of snow that fell on a mix of previous surfaces, including a warm crust, wet snow, wind-pressed snow, and settled cold snow. The storm snow has been accompanied by moderate to strong south winds, forming wind slabs on leeward slopes at upper elevations that may remain possible to trigger. Massive cornices exist on ridgelines, which can act as triggers on slopes below.
Below the recent snow, the snowpack consists of a series of rain crusts and settled snow that is well-bonded. See this helpful MIN report from the Hollyburn area.
