New snow and wind are forecast to arrive in White Pass tomorrow. The bond between this new snow and existing hard surfaces should be closely assessed. If storm snow amounts exceed 20cm in the area you are riding, the danger rating will rise to Considerable.
As new snow arrives it will likely be blown into slabs on immediate lee slopes and in alpine gullies. These slabs will be sitting on very hard bed surfaces.
WEDNESDAY NIGHT: -5C, winds NE 10km/hr, cloudy, snow beginning near midnight amount 3cm
THURSDAY: low -5C high +1C, wind NE 10km/hr changing to SW at 40km/hr later in the afternoon, cloudy, 10cm snow
FRIDAY: low -2 high 0C, wind SW 20km/hr, mostly cloudy, 5cm snow
SATURDAY: low -2, high 0C, wind SW 15km/hr, broken skies, 3cm snow
No new avalanches have been reported in over a week.
A big THANK YOU to all of you that provided us and fellow recreationists with observations this season. Please continue to do so if you head out!
The White Pass received a dusting of new snow on Tuesday. Snow arriving this week will fall on very firm surfaces, crusts, and old avalanche debris. New snow often takes time to bond to these types of surfaces.
The lower snowpack in White Pass is deep for this time of year with no layers of concern. Areas further inland, such as the Wheaton Valley, may have a shallower and weaker snowpack.
Cornices are still very large. Recent cold temperatures have kept cornice failures to a minimum but they should always be treated with respect in the spring, especially when temperatures rise.
