Snowpack is generally weak, thin, and sugary. The main avalanche hazard exists in areas where a cohesive slab has formed on top of a weak lower snowpack.
Wind slabs have formed behind ribs and ridges in the alpine and treeline. These cohesive slabs likely overlay a weak, sugary lower snowpack.
A buried surface hoar, facet layer is beginning to become a greater hazard as snow amounts reach threshold below treeline. It will be most reactive where the upper snowpack has settled into a cohesive slab.
A small (size 1) slab avalanche was observed Thursday in the upper below treeline region (~2000 m), on a steep, south-facing road bank. It failed and propagated on the sugary, faceted lower snowpack, down 25 cm from the surface.
The surface snow continues to dry out (facet) with the current cold temperatures and is being redistributed by variable winds. In the alpine and treeline, much of the wind-exposed terrain has been scoured of snow. In deeper snowpack (loaded) areas, cohesive wind slabs may exist and generally overlie a weak, sugary, facetted lower snowpack.
The overall height of snow is highly variable throughout the region. 50-150 cm in the alpine.
Friday night
Mostly cloudy with no precipitation expected, light to moderate westerly ridgetop winds, and alpine temperatures in the -15 to -20 C range.
Saturday
Clearing throughout the day. Generally light winds from the west at ridgetop, with alpine temperatures warming slightly, in the -10 to -15 C range.
SundayMostly sunny, light ridgetop winds and alpine temperatures around -10 C.
MondayMostly sunny, light ridgetop winds and alpine temperatures around -15 C.
More details can be found in the Mountain Weather Forecast.
