Stable cooler weather is reducing the likelihood of triggering deep weak layers, but continue to travel cautiously on thin, rocky slopes and near cornices.
Recent incremental accumulated snow is being redistributed by moderate wind over various old surfaces: wind-pressed in exposed terrain, softer settling snow in sheltered terrain and a sun crust on solar-facing slopes.
A layer of facets over a crust is buried 80 to 150cm, there have been no new reports of avalanches on this layer and is likely difficult to trigger with the stable weather but may become reactive again this weekend with warming temperatures.
No new avalanche activity has been reported.
Going forward, we suspect small wind slab avalanches are possible to human trigger especially at upper elevations in steep terrain features.
Recent incremental accumulation of light snow is being redistributed by moderate west wind developing isolated wind slabs.
Below this most recent snow there are various old surfaces:
Wind-pressed in exposed terrain.
Settled soft snow and/or faceted in sheltered north aspects.
Sun crust on solar-facing slopes.
A persistent weak layer of facets and crust is buried 80 to 150 cm deep, extending up to about 1400 m. The greatest concern for triggering comes from large loads, such as cornice falls, or from human triggering in areas where the snowpack transitions from thin to thick.
Tuesday Night
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -6 °C.
Wednesday
Mostly cloudy. 30 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -5 °C.
Thursday
Cloudy. 4 cm of snow. 20 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Friday
Mostly cloudy. 4 to 5 cm of snow. 30 km/h northeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
