Wind slabs may persist in steep terrain at higher elevations, while the lower elevation snowpack remains shallow with plenty of hidden hazards.
Winds have shifted in recent days, and firm wind slabs may exist on exposed alpine slopes. Use extra caution on steep southerly-facing terrain, where recent strong northerly winds in some areas have likely built more sizable slabs.
No new avalanche activity has been reported since Monday. However, field observations remain very limited.
Please consider sharing your observations with the MIN.
Strong northerly winds Thursday night into Friday morning have redistributed the snow in the alpine, creating pockets of deeper, stiffer snow in exposed terrain. In more sheltered areas near treeline and below, the snow surface remains mostly soft, dry, and undisturbed.
A firm crust that formed in early November is widespread across alpine and upper treeline terrain, sitting 30 to over 100 cm below the surface. Observations indicate weak faceted grains are developing above and below this crust in some areas.
Overall snow depths range from 50 to 150 cm at treeline and above, with coverage dropping off significantly at lower elevations.
Friday Night
Mostly clear skies. 10 km/h southwest ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -1 °C.
Saturday
Mostly sunny. Trace of snow at treeline in areas. 10 km/h north ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -3 °C.
Sunday
Mostly sunny. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -4 °C.
Monday
Mix of sun and clouds. 1 to 5 cm of snow at treeline. 10 km/h west ridgetop wind. Treeline temperature -2 °C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
