Keep an eye on the wind and new snow amounts. New snow and wind will likely build rider triggerable slabs throughout the day, be prepared to back off steep slopes as the hazard increases.
New snow and westerly winds will likely form rider triggerable storm and wind slabs. The largest and most reactive slabs will likely be found on north and east aspects at treeline and above.
Several human and naturally triggered slab avalanches were reported to size 2 on Sunday and Monday. Slab avalanches occurred in sheltered and wind effected terrain, along with consistent sluffing of loose snow from steep terrain. Loose dry avalanches continue to be reported in the region.
We suspect that new rider triggerable storm slabs will form on Thursday.
Please post your field observations and photos on the Mountain Information Network. .
20 to 40 cm of storm snow sits on wind affected surfaces at all elevations. Deeper deposits may be found in north and east facing terrain features due to southwest winds.
The mid-snowpack is generally well settled. The lower snowpack includes a layer of weak sugary crystals near the ground. These facets are slowly gaining strength and have not produced recent avalanche activity. We continue to track the layer and watch for any signs that it could wake up and produce very large avalanches.
Wednesday Night
Cloudy with around 5cm of new snow expected. Moderate westerly winds and a low of -8 °C at 1800 m.
Thursday
Stormy with 5 to 15 cm of new snow expected. Moderate to strong southwest winds and a High of -5°C at 1800 m.
Friday
Mostly cloudy with a few centimeters of new snow expected. Light to moderate southwest winds and a high of -7°C at 1800 m.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud with the possibility offlurries bringing up to 5cm of new snow. Light southerly winds and a high of -5°C at 1800 m.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
