Recent new snow amounts are highly variable which contributes to a fair amount of uncertainty with the hazard rating. Expect to see a wide variety of surface conditions and be ready to adjust your expectations based on what you see in the terrain.
New snow amounts are extremely variable but high alpine areas have seen fresh snow and wind over the past 48-hours which will have formed windslabs.
This is generally an afternoon problem at low elevations. Ice climbers should ensure they are finished their routes early and be out of any gullies by mid-day at the latest.
A ridge of high pressure will build Wednesday with weakening ridge top winds through the day and mostly sunny skies by the afternoon. Freezing levels from 1600-1800m expected on Wednesday, falling to valley bottom Wednesday night. Thursday will be mostly sunny with rising freezing levels and SW winds increasing to strong by Friday AM.
10-15cm of recent storm snow sits on a crust that can be found on all aspects up to ~2300m and higher on solar aspects. Variable snow depths, some high alpine areas on the Divide report up to 30cm dry surface snow. Consistent winds have formed fresh windslabs in lee terrain. Some loose wet avalanches are expected in the afternoon below treeline.
Numerous avalanches were reported on Sunday out of high alpine terrain on the Divide: Cornice on Kindergarten Couloir, avalanche on the Stanley Headwall, sluffs with a partial burial on the Bell Couloir, sluffs on Mt. Victoria. On Tuesday the local ski hills reported explosive triggered wind slab avalanches up to size 1.5 out of lee alpine terrain.
