Several parties have been surprised by dramatic whumphs on north facing fans below large terrain features recently. Evaluate the snowpack carefully before committing to any big lines.
Lawinenprobleme
Wind Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Unlikely - Possible
Größe
1–1.5
Pockets of windslab in immediate lees will be buried by incoming new snow, making them more difficult to manage.
Persistent Slabs
N
NE
E
SE
S
SW
W
NW
Hochgebirge
Waldgrenze
Unterhalb der Waldgrenze
Wahrscheinlichkeit
Unlikely - Possible
Größe
1.5–2.5
Evidence from recent snowpack tests and whumphing would suggest that a weak layer of facets persists down 20-50cm in some areas, and may be becoming reactive with incremental loading from recent small snowfalls.
Confidence
Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Snowpack Summary
Incoming new snow will be covering a strong surface crust on all aspects below treeline, and in to the alpine on solar aspects. A winter snowpack remains on N aspects treeline and above, with small pockets of windslab in lees, facets under an 20-50cm slab in isolated areas, and a weak base of facets and depth hoar in shallow snowpack areas.
Weather Forecast
Unsettled air pushed inland from a low pressure systems hitting the north coast will give several waves of snow flurries, with up to 15cm of accumulation by the end of the week. Wednesday: Cloudy with sunny periods. Afternoon flurries (up to 5cm). Treeline temps: Low -8 C. High -2 C. Ridge wind light SW. Freezing level: 2100m.