Newly formed wind slab and fast sluffing in steep terrain should be a concern today. The 10cm of new snow has improved ski quality slightly.
Weather Forecast
Mainly cloudy with isolated flurries throughout the day with accumulations of 1-2cm of snow. The alpine high will reach -11, winds will be 15-30kph and the freezing level will only reach 800m today, melting the snow banks in the streets of Revelstoke. Clearing skies and light winds for the weekend with the possible return of snow early next week.
Snowpack Summary
10cm of new snow covers surface facets, wind slabs, and sun crusts . Sun crusts will be found on steeper solar terrain making for difficult travel. Moderate to strong winds have deposited thin wind slabs on exposed terrain features at ridge-top and exposed treeline areas. The mid and lower snowpack is well settled and strong.
Avalanche Summary
Several loose dry avalanches to sz 2 were observed from Macdonald Gully 5, Cheops South, and the Generals slide paths on Wednesday. No new avalanche observations from yesterday. Expect to find pockets of newly formed wind slab at tree line and above.
Problems
Loose Dry
Loose Dry avalanches are the release of dry unconsolidated snow and typically occur within layers of soft snow near the surface of the snowpack. These avalanches start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-dry avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs.
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.