Our primary concern is the weak and unconsolidated base of the snowpack. Be cautious around large alpine or tree line features, as this basal layer remains possible to trigger.
The bottom of the snowpack is weak, comprising facets and depth hoar. The sweet spot for triggering will likely be from a thin spot (of which there are many!) with an overlying slab stiff enough to propagate. This should be considered when thinking of poking out into those steep, planar features.
On Wednesday, a group near Helen Shoulder remote triggered (from 30 m) a size 2 avalanche on the deep persistent layer.
No avalanches were observed or reported on Saturday.
On Sunday, the mild alpine temperatures will drop throughout the day to -10C with light West winds. Expect a few flurries East of the divide and up to 5cm West of the divide.
Benign weather is expected for Monday with no snow and light winds.
For more information, click Mountain Weather Forecast.
In the alpine and some locations at treeline, there is wind effect and isolated hard wind slabs. Surface hoar is growing in sheltered areas below treeline, and the surface snow in the alpine has consolidated due to inverted temperatures. The mid-pack contains a rain crust (below 2300m) in most areas, which somewhat supports skier and boarder weight. The base of the snowpack consists of a mix of weak facets and depth hoar. Treeline snow depths range from 60-100 cm.
