Expect a variety of conditions between different elevation bands & keep your head on a swivel while moving through wind-effected terrain.
Recent snow may slide easily on the crust and may gain enough mass to push you off your intended line.
Moderate, gusty winds and recent snow created fresh wind-slabs. Expect to find this problem most reactive in the lee sides of ridges or cross loaded terrain features in the alpine. Once triggered these avalanches have the potential to run far on the buried crust beneath.
No new natural avalanches were observed in the hwy corridor on Thursday.
A field team on Wednesday observed a natural size 2 wind slab avalanche which started at ridge top and ran on north facing terrain. Explosive control on Wed produced a size 1.5 wind-slab from a tree-line slide path.
Over the weekend there was a natural avalanche cycle triggered by strong sun and high freezing levels. All observed avalanches were loose/wet and no bigger than size 2.5.
10-20cm of snow covers a crust that exists everywhere but high north. Recent winds have blown the new snow into wind slabs in immediate lee features.
The upper snowpack consists of a series of laminated crusts from the recent spring like conditions. The Feb 3rd crust is the dominant mid-pack layer down ~110cms and still produces isolated planer results when tested.
Below tree-line, the snowpack has gone through a number of melt freeze cycles and is in spring conditions.
High pressure continues until Saturday where the ridge breaks up and light precip & unsettled conditions set in.
Tonight: Clear, Low of -10°C. Nil precip, freezing level at valley bottom.
Fri: Sunny, Alp high -3°C, light northeast winds, FZL 1800m.
Sat: Sunny with cloudy periods, Nil precip, high 3°C FZL 2300m
Sun: Flurries, 12cm, high 0°C. Moderate to Strong West winds, FZL 2000m
