Heightened avalanche conditions exist on wind loaded slopes and steep rocky terrain.
10-30 cm of snow that fell earlier this week may be blown into unstable slabs. In certain areas this snow may be poorly bonded to underlying layers of surface hoar and/or crusts. The problem is more likely found in northern parts of the region that received more snow.
A facet/crust layer from early November sits near the base of the snowpack. This layer has shown signs of recent reactivity with explosive control in shallow rocky locations producing large avalanches. It is most likely to be triggered by humans in shallow, rocky areas or in a step-down from a smaller avalanche.
SATURDAY NIGHT: Partly cloudy, light southwest wind, low temperatures around -12 C.
SUNDAY: Cloudy with some light flurries in the afternoon, light southwest wind, high temperatures around -8 C.
MONDAY: Mix of sun and cloud, light west wind, high temperatures around -6 C.
TUESDAY: Light flurries with a trace of new snow, moderate southwest wind, high temperatures around -6 C.
Explosive control work produced a few small (size 1) storm slab avalanches on Thursday and Friday. Natural, skier and explosive triggered storm slab avalanches up to size 2 were reported throughout the region during the storm Tuesday and Wednesday.
10-30 cm of recent snow overlies a rain crust found up to 2400 m in the south of the region and 1800 m in the north. In the north, the recent snow may sit over a weak layer of surface hoar or facets at elevations around treeline where this crust is not found or where it is a very thin lens that formed above these weak layers. The recent snow does not appear to be bonding well to these old surfaces.
The lower snowpack is characterized by a couple of crusts, the most notable is from a rain event in early November that is 50 to 100 cm deep. This crust is sitting near the base of the snowpack, surrounded by a weak layer of sugary facets. It is most likely to be reactive to human triggers or in a step-down from a smaller avalanche in shallow, rocky areas.
