Lingering wind slabs may remain reactive to human triggers on lee features in the alpine.
Carefully evaluate steep lines for wind slabs.
Moderate southerly winds have formed wind slabs that may remain reactive to human triggers on lee features in the alpine.
Use ridges or ribs to avoid areas of wind loaded snow.
Cornices may be weak and reactive to human triggers. They create a significant falling hazard, and may produce large slab avalanches as they fall onto the slope below.
Cornice failures are more likely during hot and sunny weather.
Small wet loose avalanches should be expected on steep, solar aspects when the sun comes out.
Avoid big, steep, alpine slopes that are getting cooked by the sun.
Thursday night: Mostly cloudy / Light south wind / Low of -4 / Freezing level 1000 m.
Friday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light west wind / High of 3 / Freezing level 1700 m.
Saturday: Mix of sun and cloud / Light southwest wind / High of 4 / Freezing level 1800 m.
Sunday: Cloudy / Moderate southeast wind / High of 10 / Freezing level 1700 m.
A skier triggered size 1.5 wind slab avalanche was reported on a northwest aspect in the alpine on Wednesday.
Skier and snowmobiler triggered storm slab avalanches up to size 2 were reported on Tuesday. North and easterly aspects that had been loaded by the wind at treeline and above were the most reactive. See MINs Here and Here.
We currently have very limited avalanche observation data from this region.
Please consider posting your observations to the Mountain Information Network (MIN). Photos of current conditions and avalanches are the most helpful.
5-10 cm of new snow adds to the 35-55 cm of recent snow. Moderate southerly winds have formed wind slabs that may remain reactive to human triggers on lee features at treeline and above.
The recent snow is sitting on a variety of hard snow surfaces, including crusts and wind scoured snow.
Below this, there are several crusts in the upper snowpack that may have the potential to produce large avalanches during the next significant warming event.
