Some models show a freezing level up to 2200m on Saturday with clear skies. This rapid change may awaken the December persistent layer down 1m on average. Pay close attention to temperatures and be prepared to bail if it gets to hot.
The buried windslab will be hard to trigger but if you are able to get it to go from a thin area, it will produce a large avalanche. Thin windslabs are also being found along ridgelines. At treeline these slabs may step down to the december crust.
If the freezing levels climb as forecast we may see this layer wake up as the snowpack settles. Pay close attention to temperatures throughout the day. This problem primarily exists below 2200m. Dig and evaluate.
Warmer air is forecast to move into the region tomorrow with freezing levels forecast to climb to around 2200m according to some models. The weather is also forecast to be clear so we can expect the sun will also play a role on south facing feature. Winds will continue out of the SW in the moderate range. Pay close attention to temperature and aspect that you are travelling on or under. Cornices may be an issue with daytime warming also.
No new avalanches were observed on Friday.
10-15cm of low density snow is overlying a hard wind affected surface that developed during the previous 10 days of strong winds. Good skiing is being found riding on the crust but you have to be very thoughful about where the wind has been in order to have a good trip down. Up tracking can be a challenge in some areas. Watch for thin windslabs in the upper snowpack along ridgelines and be thinking about wide propagations of the underlying stiff windslab if you are able to trigger it from a thinner snowpack area. At 2200m on Thursday field teams were able to locate the 1202CR down 100cm with a distinct layer of facets over the crust. Moderate sudden collapses were observed on this layer making us choose more supported and mellow terrain. We havent seen much avalanche activity on this layer but we dont want people to have it come out of your mind. Dig and look and be curious with the snowpack. With the warm temps on Saturday steep solar slopes may begin to wake up so keep an eye on temperature and if you feel the snow start to get wet or moist, think about whats overhead and what your on.
