Persistent slabs continue to be primed for rider triggering even though natural avalanche activity has tapered off. Stick to low consequence terrain.
A weak layer of faceted grains above a melt-freeze crust buried 60 to 120 cm deep is a recipe for large, high-consequence avalanches.
Storm slabs are likely to remain reactive to human traffic, particularly where they sit on problematic weak layers or hard surfaces. Smaller slabs may easily step down and trigger larger, more destructive avalanches.
Numerous large to very large natural and human triggered persistent slab avalanches continue to be reported through the latter part of the week. Many of the human triggered avalanches have been reported as remotely triggered (from a distance). This speaks to the sensitivity of the persistent slab.
As natural avalanche activity tapers, the snowpack will remain primed for rider-triggered avalanches.
70 to 110 cm of recent snow sits on a variety of layers that it may not bond well to, including surface hoar in wind-sheltered terrain, weak facets, or a hard melt-freeze crust on sun-exposed south and west-facing slopes. Numerous recent avalanche observations indicate the fresh snow is not bonding well to these layers. The wind has likely formed thicker deposits in lee terrain features near ridges.
A thick and hard widespread crust that formed in early February is buried 50 to 100 cm deep and is found up to around 2400 m. This crust may have a layer of facets above it, which makes it a troublesome avalanche layer.
The remainder of the snowpack is settled.
Friday Night
Mostly cloudy with 1-3 cm of snow. 15 to 25 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -12 °C.
Saturday
A mix of sun and cloud and isolated flurries. 15 to 25 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Sunday
A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 km/h southeast ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -8 °C.
Monday
A mix of sun and cloud. 5 to 15 km/h east ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -10 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
