Southerly winds have redistributed storm snow along alpine ridges. Watch for windslab on alpine lee features.
Weather Forecast
slightly warmer temperatures and light precipitation are expected to move in Saturday afternoon and last into midday Monday. Winds out of the south should just edge into moderate over the time period.
Snowpack Summary
50cm of low density storm snow has settled to around 30cm+. Cool to cold temperatures have been providing surface facetting. Moderate winds along ridge tops are forming soft slabs along immediate lee. Field observations show the Dec 2 interface is becoming hard to trigger and overall the mid to lower snowpack is generally strong.
Avalanche Summary
Moderate winds out of the south triggered a small avalanche cycle east of the pass along the steep faces of Mt MacDonald and Mt Tupper.
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 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.