New snow and wind loading has formed reactive storm slabs.
Make conservative choices and be very wary of exposure to overhead hazards, especially when the sun is out.
New snow and strong wind has formed reactive storm slabs. The new snow falls on a variety of surfaces, carefully assess the bond as you travel. The new snow arrives with significant wind, expect deposits to be deeper on north aspects.
New storm snow is expected to become reactive with solar warming. Watch for natural wet loose avalanches, particularly on sun-exposed slopes.
On Sunday, several storm slabs up to size 1.5 were reported.
Natural and human triggered avalanches remain likely on Tuesday, especially on sun-facing slopes.
Up to 40 cm of recent storm snow rests on a variety of underlying surfaces, including wind-affected snow in the alpine, facets on north-facing aspects, and sun-affected snow on south-facing aspects. In areas where facets or crusts are present, expect the potential for a poor bond at the storm snow interface.
A crust from early February, buried 20 to 60 cm deep, appears to be well bonded to the overlying snow.
The remainder of the snowpack is generally well bonded.
Snowpack depths at treeline range from 90 to 170 cm, tapering rapidly below treeline, particularly on south-facing aspects.
Monday Night
Clear skies. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 900 m.
Tuesday
Sunny. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature 0 °C. Freezing level 1200 m.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 900 m.
Thursday
Cloudy. 15 to 35 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C. Freezing level 1000 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
