There may be another light dusting of snow, with small wind slabs forming, but really there is little change to speak of.
Confidence
Good - The weather pattern is stable
Weather Forecast
Friday: Mainly cloudy with a chance of flurries – 3-6 cm. The freezing level is around 1500 m and ridge winds are moderate from the W-SW. Saturday: Becoming a mix of sun and cloud. The freezing level remains near 1500 m and winds ease to light. Sunday: A mix of sun and cloud. The freezing level jumps to a little over 2000 m and wind could rise to moderate SW by the end of the day.
Avalanche Summary
There was one new report of a size one skier-triggered wind slab on a steep convex roll on Wednesday. Neighbouring regions also experienced widespread dry loose sluffing in steep terrain, and isolated small wind slab activity in exposed areas.
Snowpack Summary
Variable recent storm snow totals across the region are generally in the 5-25 cm range. The snow surface varies with elevation and aspect with respect to sun and wind exposure, and includes dry new snow, loose facetted snow, wind slabs, and sun crusts. The mid-February crust is down around 10-30 cm where it isn't wind loaded or scoured. The late-Jan crust/surface hoar layer (up to 100 cm deep) and the mid-January surface hoar (80-120 cm deep) are generally dormant, and chances of triggering these weaknesses have decreased. However, triggering may be possible with a large input such as cornice fall, or an avalanche stepping down, especially on slopes that see a lot of sun.
Problems
Wind Slabs
Wind Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) formed by the wind. Wind typically transports snow from the upwind sides of terrain features and deposits snow on the downwind side. Wind slabs are often smooth and rounded and sometimes sound hollow, and can range from soft to hard. Wind slabs that form over a persistent weak layer (surface hoar, depth hoar, or near-surface facets) may be termed Persistent Slabs or may develop into Persistent Slabs.