Very dangerous avalanche conditions remain. Humans are very likely to trigger high-consequence avalanches.
A weak layer of faceted grains above a melt-freeze crust buried 50 to 100 cm deep is a recipe for large, high-consequence avalanches. This snowpack setup will take some time to strengthen.
Storm slabs are likely to remain reactive to human traffic, particularly where they sit on problematic weak layers or hard surfaces. Giving the snow time to heal is warranted at this time.
An avalanche cycle occurred on the weekend with widespread avalanche activity occurring within the storm snow. Natural and human triggered persistent slab avalanches occurred on the weak layer of faceted grains associated with the early-February crust described in the Snowpack Summary. They were mostly on northerly aspects between 1600 and 2000 m and were 50 to 80 cm thick.
Rider triggering is expected to continue for the foreseeable future with this snowpack setup.
50 to 90 cm of recent snow sits on a variety of layers that it may not bond well to, including surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, weak facets, or a hard melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed south and west-facing slopes. The wind has likely formed thicker deposits in lee terrain features near ridges.
A thick and hard widespread crust that formed in early February is buried 50 to 100 cm deep and is found up to around 2400 m. This crust may have a layer of facets above it, which makes it a troublesome avalanche layer.
The remainder of the snowpack is settled.
Monday Night
Mostly cloudy with 2 to 5 cm of snow. 10 km/h northwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -21 °C.
Tuesday
Partly cloudy. 20 to 30 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -19 °C.
Wednesday
Cloudy with 5 to 15 cm of snow. 20 to 40 km/h south ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy with 10 to 20 cm of snow and afternoon clearing. 10 to 20 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -9 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
