Assess for small wind slabs in the alpine. Continue to avoid thin, rocky slopes, where triggering a persistent slab is most likely.
New wind slabs may form in the high alpine. Apply caution within lee terrain features if you get 10 cm or more of new snow in your local riding area.
A weak layer of facets over a crust is 50 to 70 cm deep. The likelihood of triggering this layer is low anywhere a thick, hard crust is on or near the surface. The most suspect terrain is steep alpine slopes where the snowpack is thin and rocky.
We haven't received recent reports of avalanches, besides small sluffs from steep and rocky slopes during warm weather.
Last week, a few persistent slab avalanches were triggered by cornice falls during warm weather. The cooling trend this week is decreasing the likelihood of triggering deeper layers, though it may remain possible in thin, rocky alpine slopes.
Please consider submitting a MIN to let us know what you're seeing out there.
Below around 2000 m, rain will fall on an already wet snowpack. Above 2000 m, about 5 to 10 cm of snow may accumulate Monday night with strong to extreme wind. The snow will fall onto moist snow or a hard melt-freeze crust. Localized small wind slabs may form in immediate lee features in the alpine.
A weak layer of facets above a hard crust is buried 50 to 70 cm deep. This layer was likely the culprit of some large avalanches last week.
Facets exist at the base of the snowpack in shallow areas.
The snowpack continues to melt at lower elevations.
Monday Night
Cloudy. 5 to 10 mm of precipitation as snow or rain at treeline. 50 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C. Freezing level 2300 m dropping to 1800 m by morning.
Tuesday
Cloudy. 2 cm of snow. 60 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C. Freezing level 1700 m.
Wednesday
Cloudy. 10 cm of snow. 50 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C. Freezing level 1500 m rising to 2000 m.
Thursday
Cloudy. 10 to 20 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -7 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
