Strong west winds have likely redistributed available snow into wind slabs
Evaluate terrain carefully for wind slabs before committing
Use extra caution in shallow snowpack areas
Ongoing westerly wind will likely form wind slabs on easterly aspects.
Wind slab avalanches have the potential to step down to buried weak layers resulting in larger avalanches.
The weak layer from early December remains a concern in shallow snowpack areas.
One size 1 wind slab avalanche was remotely triggered by a skier on a west aspect on Tuesday. No other avalanches were reported in the region over the past 2 days.
If you head out in the backcountry, let us know what you see by submitting a MIN.
Up to 15 cm of low-density snow sits atop a variety of surfaces, including wind-affected snow , surface hoar and facets on northerly aspects and a thin breakable sun crust on southerly aspects. Moderate westerly winds have redistributed available snow into fresh wind slabs at upper elevations.
A weak layer buried in early December can be found down 30 cm in shallow areas and as much as 120 cm in deep snowpack areas. On shaded slopes, it consists of weak surface hoar or faceted crystals, while on south-facing slopes, it combines a sun crust with facets.
The snowpack base is composed of a thick crust and facets in many areas.
Wednesday Night
Partly cloudy with trace amounts of snow possible. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Thursday
Mix of sun and cloud. 20 to 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
Friday
Cloudy with 5 to 10 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Saturday
Mix of sun and cloud with up to 5 cm of snow possible. 10 to 25 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
