Enjoy the holidays, but be mindful that you may find variable wind slabs in the alpine and open tree line.
Winds in the alpine and open tree line locations continue to develop wind slabs. Caution as these wind slabs appear to be stubborn, are localized, and are suspect to be susceptible to human triggering particularly high alpine ridgetop features.
Facetted surface snow can quickly gain significant mass particularly in steep alpine gullies.
Be cautious of thick to thin snowpack areas being likely trigger locations. The wind slabs have the potential to step down to the weakness at the base of the snowpack.
Sunday will be cloudy and flurries, trace amount of snow, -9C and light SW winds. Monday will be sun and cloud with a trace of new snow, -14C and light West winds. Tuesday will be similar with no new snow.
There is 15-30cm of soft snow or dense wind-slabs location dependent over a generally firm mid-pack. Mid-pack crusts on steep solar aspects may be encountered at tree-line and below. An early season crust is down 40-100cm and decomposing. It overlies weak basal facets and depth hoar but is well bridged by the mid-pack above unless shallow location.
Patrol to Churchill slide path today noted no new activity but visibility was poor.
