No recent natural avalanche activity and a cooling trend are a good sign of healing snowpack.The alpine is still a suspect due to the week long wind event.
Wind slab development has been more pronounced in the icefields area. Investigate its bonding to the old snow surface before committing to your line.
A persistent slab sits over 2 different layers depending on elevation and aspect. Below 1950m, the layer is the early Dec rain crust roughly 40-60cm down. Above 1950m, facets buried after the holidays cold spell are the primary layer of concern.
Tuesday: A mix of sun and cloud. Precipitation: Nil. Alpine temperature: High -10 °C. Ridge wind light.
Wednesday: A mix of sun. Precipitation: Trace. Alpine temperature: Low -13 °C, High -11 °C. Ridge wind west: 10 km/h.
Thursday: Flurries. Accumulation: 12 cm. Alpine temperature: Low -11 °C, High -6 °C. Ridge wind west: 20 km/h gusting to 60 km/h.
Variable amounts of new snow across the region with up to 15 cm further south. The upper snowpack has been heavily wind affected especially in wind prone areas. The mid snowpack is faceted with a persistent weak layer buried 40-70cm down. Basal facets and depth hoar can be found at the base of snowpack.
Sunday Icefields patrol had fair visibility and no new naturals were noted. Our nearest neighbors reporting small wind slab and persistent slab results from their explosives control in the Alpine.
