Good Morning. This is Doug Chabot with mountain weather and snowpack information issued on Monday, October 25th.
MOUNTAIN WEATHER AND SNOWPACK
There's snow in the mountains this morning, the first beginnings of our winter snowpack. A low pressure system dropped in from the northwest and blanketed the mountains at 9,000 feet with 6-9 inches of heavy, dense snow. Expect almost double that amount in high alpine terrain, especially on the lee side of ridges and gullies. Ridgetop winds are blowing at 20-40 mph out of the west with temperatures in the low 20s. Scattered showers could add a few more inches before this system moves out on Wednesday.
Snow and wind indicate a potential for avalanches, especially in high elevation gullies and couloirs where it's skiable. The adage, "If there's enough snow to ski, there's enough snow to avalanche" has proven true every season. I expect to hear about the first human triggered slide of year any day now. And it's not just skiers we're concerned about. Hunters are especially at risk since they are focused catching animals and not snow stability. It doesn't take much snow to slide, and this time of year the danger isn't being buried it's being raked over rocks or pushed off of cliffs. Let's not forget 2004 when two ice climbers on the Sphinx were swept to their deaths the last weekend in October.
We will update snowpack information as more storms roll through.
Be extra aware of entering avalanche terrain and especially mindful of the consequences of a slide. If you have any snowpack or avalanche observations, drop us a line at mtavalanche@gmail.com or call us at 587-6984.