A bit more snow and a lot more wind are in the forecast. Finding a spot beneath the wind effect but above the snowline will be difficult.
Confidence
Moderate - Forecast snowfall amounts are uncertain
Weather Forecast
Tuesday night: Cloudy with flurries bringing 5-10 cm of new snow. Moderate to strong southwest winds.Wednesday: A mix of sun and cloud with easing isolated flurries and a trace of new snow. Moderate to strong northwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around -9.Thursday: Mainly cloudy with another round of flurries bringing about 5 cm of new snow. Strong to extreme southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures increasing to around -3 with freezing levels continuing to rise from 1500 to 2000 metres overnight.Friday: A mix of sun and cloud. Strong southwest winds. Alpine high temperatures around 0 to +1 as freezing levels jump to a possible 2400 metres.
Avalanche Summary
No new avalanches have been reported in the region. Small wind slabs have been reported in neighboring regions.
Snowpack Summary
Light new snow amounts have begun to bury previous surfaces that ranged from soft power to hard wind slab, and sun crust. The new snow is also burying Isolated pockets of stiff wind slab that likely exist on leeward slopes. Beneath the new snow and old surface, the snowpack has a thin, weak structure, with the bottom half of the snowpack composed of weak facets and crusts. This basal layer has not been active, but terrain features like smooth alpine bowls with variable snowpack depths are still suspect given this snowpack structure. Currently only 30-90 cm of snow can be found in alpine areas and much less at lower elevations
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.
Deep Persistent Slabs
Deep Persistent Slab avalanches are the release of a thick cohesive layer of hard snow (a slab), when the bond breaks between the slab and an underlying persistent weak layer deep in the snowpack. The most common persistent weak layers involved in deep, persistent slabs are depth hoar or facets surrounding a deeply buried crust. Deep Persistent Slabs are typically hard to trigger, are very destructive and dangerous due to the large mass of snow involved, and can persist for months once developed. They are often triggered from areas where the snow is shallow and weak, and are particularly difficult to forecast for and manage.