Dangerous avalanche conditions persist in the wake of the storm. Stick to conservative terrain while the snowpack adjusts to the new load.
Weak layers buried in late January or February may be reactive in isolated areas. Their distribution is uncertain, but it is most likely to be triggered on large slopes, where small surface avalanches could step down to the layer.
Recent snow is most likely to form reactive slabs where it has been wind affected at upper elevations, and settled rapidly in warm temperatures at mid elevations.
We are still awaiting observations from the storm on Saturday. During stormy conditions last week, a large avalanche cycle produced avalanches up to size 4, many likely stepping down to deeper weak layers. We are expecting to see similar activity this weekend.
On Wednesday and Thursday this week, a number of small (size 1) skier-triggered slabs were reported on north-facing convexities at alpine and treeline elevations. Crowns were around 30 cm deep.
40 to 60 cm of new snow is likely wind affected at upper elevations. Below 1800 m, expect wet or crusty surfaces.
A layer buried in late January, consisting of surface hoar, facets, and/or crust, exists roughly 100 to 150 cm below the surface. Check out this blog post for more details on these problematic layers.
The remainder of the snowpack is well consolidated, with no other significant layers of concern.
Saturday Night
Mostly cloudy. 10 to 20 mm of snow or rain at treeline. 70 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level dropping 2000 m to valley bottom.
Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 4 cm of snow. 40 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 5 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
Tuesday
Mix of sun and clouds. 2 to 5 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -11 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
