Give storm slabs time to bond and keep your eye on cornices.
Route selection should take both of these hazards into consideration.
Cornices are large and overhanging, give these hazards a wide berth and reduce your time travelling under them.
A falling cornice has the potential to trigger a large avalanche on the slope below.
Recent storm snow will likely remain reactive due to the underlying crust. The largest and most reactive slabs will be on northerly aspects.
Dry loose avalanches are possible where new snow hasn’t formed a slab.
Over the past 3 days numerous storm and wind slab avalanches up to size 2.5 have been observed. These avalanches have been triggered naturally, by explosives, and by skiers. Avalanches were predominantly triggered on north and east aspects at treeline and above but one was triggered below treeline. The atmospheric river crust has been the failure plane for almost all of them.
Strong southwest wind is expected to continue to redistribute snow into deeper deposits on north and east aspects. Exposed windward features are scoured at treeline and above.
The 15 cm thick crust that formed as a result of the atmospheric river event is found down 40 to 80 cm. This crust extends up to at least 2300 m. Moist snow is found beneath this crust.
Weak layers from February can be found down 150 cm and deeper. These layers remain a concern at high elevations where the crust from the atmospheric river might not exist.
Thursday Night
Partly cloudy. 1 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Friday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 cm of snow. 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Sunday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 10 cm of snow. 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
