Be extra cautious on steep solar aspects during the heat of the day. Pay attention to signs that upper snowpack is weakening (snowballing, moist or wet snow especially around rocky areas, water running over rocks etc.).
Weather Forecast
Temperatures will rise through the night on Sunday as the freezing level climbs to 3400m by mid-day on Monday. Winds will ease to Light Westerly and skies will be clear. Temperatures and freezing level will drop on Tuesday with similar weather expected on Wednesday.
Snowpack Summary
Melt freeze crust on steep solar aspects treeline and above. There is a well settled snowpack in most locations. A 30 - 70 cm thick slab overlies a crust and bonding appears to be strengthening at this interface. The Halloween Oct 31 crust sits near the bottom of the snowpack from treeline to 2700 m.
Avalanche Summary
No patrol occurred on Sunday. No avalanches reported.
Problems
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.