Forecasters were noting cracking along ridgelines on Wednesday indicating that windslabs are reactive to a skiers weight. The new snow is also settling fast and reacting as a storm slab where overlying the previous crust surface.
Windslabs can be found in the alpine along ridgelines and in gullied terrain. Watch for these slabs overlying a crust on solar aspects.
Watch for storm slabs and evaluate the bond between the new snow and the underlying surface. Placces where the slabs is overlying a crust they seem to be the most reactive.
Winds are forecast to increase on Thursday out of the south with daytime highs around -5. Clouds cover will dominate the region and we can expect the freezing lebel to be around 2200m. Another system is forecast to reach the region on Saturday with another good pulse of winter!
Evidence of a few skier remotes up to sz 1.5 at treeline and below on an E aspect. These slabs were able to run far on the underlying hard bed surface. A few small slabs within the storm snow were also observed at the base of cliff faces on all aspects. A sz 2 skier accidental slide was also reported in the Heros knob drainage with limited details.
10-20cm of new snow has fallen over the past 24hrs with only isolated winds at upper elevations. Two things are going on in the upper snowpack right now. Along ridgelines and in lee features, windslabs up to 40cm thick have developed. Field teams have experienced cracking as they approach open terrain. Also the recent snow and warm temps have created storm slabs as the snow has settled. These slabs have been reactive in areas where they are overlying a crust so keep in mind how the bond with the new snow and the underlying surface is.
