Human-triggered wind slab is the main concern.
The best and safest riding will be on slopes that have soft snow without any slab properties.
Additional snowfalls combined with sustained wind are continuing to form wind slabs in leeward terrain features at upper elevations. Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind-loaded snow where human triggering is most likely.
Field observations remain limited, with poor visibility restricting observations over the past days. Sunday, several natural wind slabs (size 1-1.5) were observed on easterly aspects at treeline in the McGregor range.
Friday, explosive control work near Pine Pass produced size 2-3 wind slabs on reverse-loaded south to southwest aspects in the alpine. Evidence of previous natural activity (up to size 3) during the past storms was also reported in the Pine Pass area.
50 to 80 cm of recent snow overlies a prominent hard crust formed in mid-December that extends up to 1800 m near the Pine Pass area, and up to 2000 m near Highway 16. Continued wind has redistributed the recent snow in exposed terrain at treeline and in the alpine.
A layer of surface hoar, facets, and/or a crust may be found buried around 120-140 cm deep. This layer has been observed to be gaining strength and is now even less likely to be triggered where bridged by the recent crust.
In thin snowpack areas, faceted grains or depth hoar may exist at the base of the snowpack.
Monday Night
Cloudy. 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.
Tuesday
Mostly cloudy. Up to 2 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -20 °C.
Thursday
Partly cloudy. 30 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -16 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
