A buried surface hoar layer remains the primary concern. As you gain elevation, assess continually the conditions. Check our Forecasters' Blog for more details.
A preserved layer of surface hoar is found down 35 to 65 cm and has shown consistent reactivity in snowpack tests. It may be reactive to human triggers, at higher elevations, where the weak layer is not capped by a rain crust.
No recent persistent slab avalanche activity has been reported lately but the weak layer continues to be reactive in snowpack tests. These layers are most likely to be reactive to triggering in shallow snowpack areas at higher elevations.
If you go out in the backcountry, please consider sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
On sheltered locations, 10-20 cm of light snow overlies a layer of surface hoar and a sun crust. A prominent rain crust is found 35 to 65 cm deep. While this crust may be strong enough to cap another preserved layer of large surface hoar crystals in some areas, in other areas the crust is breakable or absent. It may be possible to trigger this weak layer in areas where the crust is thinner and less supportive, with higher-elevation terrain being the most suspect.
Typical snowpack depths at treeline are 70 to 110 cm, and taper rapidly below treeline.
Tuesday Night
Cloudy with scattered flurries, trace accumulation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -3° C, freezing level 1500 m.
Wednesday
Cloudy with scattered flurries, trace accumulation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -2° C, freezing level 1500 m.
Thursday
Cloudy with scattered flurries, trace accumulation, alpine wind southwest 30 to 40 km/h, treeline temperature -2° C, freezing level 1500 m.
Friday
Cloudy with isolated flurries, up to 5 cm, alpine wind southwest 40 to 60 km/h, treeline temperature -2° C, freezing level 1500 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
