East Slopes North

Expect another cool, quiet day with partly cloudy skies. While avalanche concerns are minimal, be aware of triggering isolated cornices or small pockets of wind-drifted snow in steep, upper-elevation terrain. More than avalanches, challenges may come from travel on breakable crusts or firm snow surfaces. 

Observers have reported that older drifted snow is now unreactive and difficult to trigger. That said, if you venture into very steep terrain at upper elevations, use caution around rocky chutes and steep unsupported features. small amounts of moving snow could be enough to push you down steep, firm slopes.

After a couple of days with sunny skies and warm temperatures, on the 13-15th, the second half of the week brought colder temperatures. Even as the skies cleared partially on Thursday and Friday, temperatures kept southerly aspects cold. Thursday's blustery conditions had limited snow available to drift and transport.

You'll find variable snow surfaces, including crusts, wind-affected snow, surface hoar, and weak, faceting snow. In the top foot of the snowpack, there are a few interfaces buried on Jan 10th and Jan 1st. In some locations, you may be able to find weak facets or surface hoar at these interfaces, though they may not be everywhere. The Solstice Crust is buried 3-5ft deep, depending on your location in the zone. Currently, none of these interfaces are a concern for avalanches, but they're good markers to identify within the snowpack. They could be a concern later in the winter with a return to stormy conditions.

If you're out in the mountains,  share what you see and submit an observation.