Conditions are generally stable but be cautious of lingering pockets of wind slabs in the alpine as well as sluffing from steep sun exposed slopes during the afternoon.
Confidence
Fair - Due to the number of field observations
Weather Forecast
The ridge should keep the region dry and mainly clear through the weekend. On Friday, a mix of sun and cloud is expected with freezing levels climbing to around 2000m. Alpine winds are expected to be moderate-to-strong from the NW. On Saturday, similar conditions are expected with a mix of sun and cloud, freezing levels around 2000m, and light-to-moderate W-NW winds in the alpine. Sunday looks to be mainly sunny and freezing levels could get as high as 2500m.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported recently. Natural avalanches are generally not expected on Friday but small human-triggered avalanches remain possible in isolated areas, specifically wind-loaded areas of the alpine.
Snowpack Summary
In sheltered areas, up to 10 cm of new snow from earlier in the week sits over a previously variable snow surface which was a mix of surface hoar, crusts, wind affected surfaces, and/or dry powder. Ongoing winds have redistributed the new snow in wind-exposed terrain resulting in a highly variable snow surface and the formation of thin wind slabs in leeward features. The most prominent snowpack feature is a thick supportive crust around 10-30 cm below the surface. It extends up to around 2200m elevation. Below this elevation the crust is effectively capping the snowpack, preventing riders from stressing deeper persistent weak layers. In alpine areas where the crust is not present or is less thick, it could still be possible to trigger a deep avalanche from rocky sun-exposed slopes, thin snowpack areas, or with a heavy load (i.e. cornice fall).
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.
Persistent Slabs
Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer of snow (a slab) in the middle to upper snowpack, when the bond to an underlying persistent weak layer breaks. Persistent layers include: surface hoar, depth hoar, near-surface facets, or faceted snow. Persistent weak layers can continue to produce avalanches for days, weeks or even months, making them especially dangerous and tricky. As additional snow and wind events build a thicker slab on top of the persistent weak layer, this avalanche problem may develop into a Deep Persistent Slab.