Watch for increasingly reactive conditions as snowfall accumulates on Sunday.
Avoid freshly wind loaded features.
Expect new snow to be redistributed into wind affected features on north and east facing slopes by the strong winds.
Watch for wind loading mid to low on slopes, and be wary of cross-loaded features.
A layer of large, weak facets exists at the base of the snowpack. Avoid shallow snowpack areas like thin and rocky start zones and areas with variable snow depths. Human triggering is more likely here.
On Thursday small loose dry avalanche activity was reported.
On Wednesday a number of storm slab and wind slab avalanches were triggered with explosives and ski cutting, up to size 2 on various aspects and elevations.
A natural avalanche cycle occurred during stormy weather on Tuesday, with numerous storm slab releases up to size 2.5.
Around 10 cm of low density storm snow will sit over wind affected surfaces at all elevations with deeper deposits expected in north and east facing terrain features.
The mid-snowpack is generally well settled, with no current layers of concern.
The lower snowpack includes a layer of weak sugary crystals and crusts near the ground. These facets are slowly gaining strength and have not produced recent avalanche activity. We continue to track the layer and watch for any signs that it could wake up and produce very large avalanches.
Saturday Night
Cloudy overnight with flurries. Moderate to strong southwest winds. Freezing levels below valley bottom
Sunday
Snow begins early in the morning, delivering 5-15 cm over the day. Freezing levels rise to 1000 m. Alpine high of -5 °C with moderate to strong southwest winds easing over the day.
Monday
Another 5-10 cm possible overnight into Monday morning. Most cloudy day with moderate southerly winds easing. Freezing levels around 600 m. Alpine high of -7 °C. Snowfall eases in the morning with lingering flurries possible.
Tuesday
Cloudy with flurries bringing a few cm over the day. Light to moderate southwest winds. Freezing levels around 600 m. Alpine high of -7 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
