As the new snow continues to pile up, great skiing can be found almost everywhere. It seems hard to justify venturing into bigger, consequential terrain.
Weather Forecast
Monday: Cloudy. Light snowfall. Ridgetop winds Moderate SW. Alpine Temps High -11, Low -16.Tuesday: Mix of Sun and Cloud. Afternoon Flurries. Ridgetop winds Moderate trending Light SW. Alpine Temps High -10, Low -17.Wednesday: Cloudy. Snow (5-10cm). Ridgetop winds Moderate-Strong SW. Alpine Temps High -10, Low -14.
Snowpack Summary
The recent trend of snowfall and wind continues. Currently 14cm of low density snow overlies several layers of previous wind and storm slabs. A persistent weak layer of facets on a crust or old wind slabs is now down 60-90cm. Where this layer is a crust/facet combo (most likely on Sunny aspects at Treeline), the slab sitting above will be touchy.
Avalanche Summary
As recently as Saturday, large wind and storm slab avalanches have been observed as a result of natural triggers in the alpine and at treeline, these occurred primarily on N and E (lee) aspects. Last Thursday at Treeline, a small (Size 1) persistent slab was accidentally triggered by a skier, on a steep, south facing, cross-loaded slope,
Confidence
Timing, track, or intensity of incoming weather system is uncertain
Problems
Storm Slabs
Storm Slab avalanches are the release of a cohesive layer (a slab) of new snow that breaks within new snow or on the old snow surface. Storm-slabs typically last between a few hours and few days (following snowfall). Storm-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.
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.