Keep an eye out for blowing snow. New thin wind slabs could form throughout the day near ridge crests.
New thin wind slabs could form near ridge crests throughout the day. These new slabs will form over old wind slabs formed a couple days prior.
There are several crusts in the mid/lower snowpack. Their depth ranges from 150-200 + cm.
A large trigger, such as a cornice fall or smaller avalanche in motion, could trigger a very large avalanche on one of these deeply buried weak layers. A single rider is unlikely to trigger this layer unless they are in a steep, rocky, and shallow snowpack area.
No significant avalanches were reported on Wednesday.
On Saturday, explosive avalanche control work resulted in numerous very large(size 3-4) persistent slab avalanches. They occurred on a variety of aspects below steep, wind loaded treeline ridgetops and large alpine features.
A new sun crust exists on solar aspects. Recent southeasterly winds have formed wind slabs near ridge crests at higher elevations. These slabs are sitting on either hard surfaces or small facets. The above mentioned winds have formed large cornices.
There are several crusts in the mid/lower snowpack. Their depth ranges from 150-200 + cm.
A large trigger, such as a cornice fall or smaller avalanche in motion, could trigger a very large avalanche on one of these deeply buried weak layers. A single rider is unlikely to trigger this layer unless they are in a steep, rocky, and shallow snowpack area.
Thursday Night
Mostly cloudy with the possibility of light flurries bringing trace amounts of new snow. Light to moderate southeast winds and a low of -8°C at 1800 m.
Friday
Cloudy with around 5 cm of new snow. Light easterly winds shifting to light southwest winds in the afternoon. High of -4°C at 1800 m with freezing levels rising to 1200 m.
Saturday
Mostly cloudy with flurries bringing a few centimeters of new snow. Light to moderate southerly winds and a high of -5°C at 1800 m.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud with no new snow expected. Moderate southerly winds and freezing levels rising to 1500 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
