Wind slabs are likely to be encountered at upper elevations and may be reactive to human triggering, especially in lee features.
Weather Forecast
SATURDAY NIGHT - Cloudy with isolated flurries / southwest winds, 30-50 km/h / alpine low temperature near -7SUNDAY - Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries / southwest winds, 10-30 km/h / alpine high temperature near -4 / freezing level 1800 mMONDAY - A mix of sun and cloud with isolated flurries / south winds, 10-20 km/h / alpine high temperature near -3 / freezing level 2000 mTUESDAY - Mainly cloudy with scattered flurries, 5 cm / west winds, 10-20 km/h / alpine high temperature near -1 / freezing level 2000 m
Avalanche Summary
On Thursday, there were a few reports of natural and human triggered storm and wind slab avalanches in the alpine, as well as a few human triggered loose wet avalanches.
Snowpack Summary
10-20 cm of recent storm snow sits on a melt-freeze crust on all aspects except for north slopes above 2000 m, where it sits on dry snow. Recent snowfall amounts taper quickly below treeline.The base of the snowpack is composed of sugary faceted snow. The likelihood of triggering an avalanche on this layer is lower during colder periods and elevated during intense warming.Snow is disappearing rapidly 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.