Watch for strong solar input if the sun comes out. Start early, finish early. Expect challenging skiing below treeline. Watch for windslabs on northerly aspects.
Weather Forecast
A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries and a freezing level rising to 2100m is the call for today. There is a possibility of afternoon thunder showers in the mix as well depending on which forecast you review. Ridge winds are expected to be NW and nudging into moderate. Wednesday looks very similar to today with flurries beginning Thursday.
Snowpack Summary
Pockets of wind slabs at tree line and alpine elevations. The 20cm of recent snow buries a melt freeze crust on all aspects to tree line. Below the crust, the top 50cm is becoming moist during the day, isothermal in thin snowpack areas BTL. Elsewhere the lower snowpack is strong where over 2m.
Avalanche Summary
A new size 2 slab estimated to be 50m wide and 40cm released off the far skier's right on Video Peak yesterday.Cheops 1 released a size 2.5 slab sometime on Sunday. Several slides throughout the highway corridor to size 2.5 all thought to be from Sunday. Some point releases on solar are triggering slab avalanches.
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.
Loose Wet
Loose Wet avalanches are the release of wet unconsolidated snow or slush. These avalanches typically occur within layers of wet snow near the surface of the snowpack, but they may quickly gouge into lower snowpack layers. Like Loose Dry Avalanches, they start at a point and entrain snow as they move downhill, forming a fan-shaped avalanche. Other names for loose-wet avalanches include point-release avalanches or sluffs. Loose Wet avalanches can trigger slab avalanches that break into deeper snow layers.