Natural activity has tapered, but there remains a high degree of uncertainty for large alpine slopes that have not recently slid. Good skiing can be found in sheltered areas below treeline.
Weather Forecast
Temperatures remaining cool, but have the potential to reach fluctuate significantly over the course of the day. 10-15mm expected in a series of light snowfalls from Tuesday morning to Wednesday evening. Winds expected to intensify to strong from the SW with the first pulse of snow on Tuesday.
Snowpack Summary
Varied storm snow amts: 10-15cm in the Icefields, 40cm near Mt Wilson, and 30cm north of Beauty creek is sitting on the weak and facetted persistent slab at mid snowpack. Reverse loading from a northerly flow has cross-loaded Alpine features.
Avalanche Summary
Avalanche activity has tapered. No new observations from field team in the Parker Ridge area.
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.