Continually assess conditions as you travel and watch out for isolated (wind) slabs.
Confidence
Moderate - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
Some cool but fine weather for the next few days. The next weather system arrives late on Saturday. WEDNESDAY: Sunny with occasional cloud. Light and variable winds. Freezing level at sea level. Treeline temperatures around -6 Celcius.THURSDAY: Sunny with clouds in the afternoon. Light westerly winds 10-15 Km/hr. Freezing level at sea level. Treeline temperatures around -6 Celcius. FRIDAY: Increasing clouds throughout the day. Lightly southwesterly winds 15-25 Km/hr. Alpine high temperatures to -4 Celcius. Freezing level rises to 300m
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches observed.
Snowpack Summary
The mountains of the South Coast region received 15-20cm of snow Sunday-Monday. The new snow came in wet and heavy (especially in the North Shore mountains) and bonded well to 15 cm of settling snow from Friday's storm. Watch out for small wind slabs on north-facing slopes in the lee of exposed features. Friday's snow buried a variable interface composed of faceted (sugary) snow and old hard wind slabs (especially at higher elevations). Recent reports suggest the snow has bonded well to this interface. The mid and lower snowpack are well settled and stable.
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.