Danger will escalate throughout the week as new snow accumulates to form unstable wind slabs.
With more snow and wind in the forecast expect fresh wind slabs to form on a variety of aspects. Their size and likelihood will escalate throughout the week.
Also be aware of old wind slabs that may be buried beneath the new snow and could still be possible to trigger in steep terrain.
MONDAY NIGHT: Cloudy with some light flurries bringing up to 5 cm of new snow, moderate south wind, alpine temperatures drop to -18 C.
TUESDAY: Periods of snow, 5-10 cm, moderate south wind with 50 km/h gusts, alpine high temperatures around -8 C.
WEDNESDAY: Scattered flurries with another 5-10 cm of snow, strong south wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.
THURSDAY: Another pulse of flurries with 10-15 cm of new snow, strong south wind, alpine high temperatures around -5 C.
No new avalanches were reported over the weekend. There were several reports of size 2-3 avalanches during last week's storm, including a large slab triggered by a falling cornice on north face in Taiya Valley.
Last week's storm snow may still be possible to trigger in steep wind-affected terrain, but the primary concern this week will be new slabs forming as snow accumulates.
New slabs will form this week as the weather forecast calls for roughly 5-10 cm of snow per day with strong south wind. A storm last week delivered 20-30 cm of snow that has been redistributed by shifting winds, leaving old wind slabs on a variety of aspects in exposed terrain. Cornices are reported to be growing in size as well.
At White Pass, where snowpack depths are between 180 and 250 cm, the mid and lower snowpack layers are well bonded. In the Wheaton Valley, the base of the thin snowpack comprises mainly of sugary facets and is capped by a breakable crust.
