Be especially careful near freshly wind loaded alpine zones.
The new wind slabs rest on a very firm crust that provides an excellent gliding surface.
The north-westerly wind will continue the formation of wind slabs in the alpine region. On sunny slopes, these slabs rest on a very firm crust that provides an excellent sliding surface. You're likely to encounter this problem in couloir start zones, under convexities and in laterally-loaded depressions.
On the sunny slopes of the alpine, on the steep slopes and in the coulées, the new, very light snow rests directly on a very firm crust, easily creating small avalanches of dry loose snow when a skier passes.
No new avalanche was reported or observed.
If you go into the backcountry, thanks for sharing your observations on the Mountain Information Network (MIN).
In areas sheltered from the wind, between 10 and 20 cm of very low density fell, depending on the sector. Sectors closer to the north coast were favored.
Below 500m altitude, this new snow rests on a refreezing crust that formed on Monday. The crust thickens and hardens as we lose altitude. In some places (Mines Madeleine and sun-facing slopes), the crust is present up to 1000m. It is very firm on the sunny alpine slopes, and ski crampons are essential.
The middle of the snowpack is well consolidated, resting on the December 30 combo of facetted grains and crust. Facetted grains and depth hoar are developing at the base of the snowpack.
Snowpack height is highly variable throughout the area, and wind effects are significant in the alpine and at the treeline. The average height is around 90 cm.
Synopsis: No precipitation and rather cold, clear weather for the next few days.
Thursday evening and night: Clear. Wind northwest, 20-30 km/h. Low -17.
Friday: Becoming cloudy in the afternoon. Wind northwest, 15 to 25 km/h. High -15C.
Saturday: Sunny. Wind northwest, 10 to 20 km/h. High -11.
Sunday: Sunny. Wind west, 10 to 20 km/h. High -17.
For more details, check out the most recent alpine weather forecast.
